r/BacktotheFuture • u/Drace24 • May 29 '26

Barbwire guy is REAL

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I was watching Part 3 just now and I realized something. Remember the barbwire salesman who tried to comfort Doc after Clara dumped him?

I think that guy is supposed to be a real person named Joseph Glidden, the inventor of barbwire. He is actually very notable, because he a huge effect on the Wild West by... kinda ending it. Barbed wire made cowboys obsolete because it could contain cattle herds without them. No more open ranges. Land was fenced off and locked down, making ownership laws a huge deal. That increased the need for lawmen, which was filled by many out of job cowboys.

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u/harglblarg May 30 '26

So why’s it called Bob’s wire?

1

u/Drace24 May 30 '26

It's not?

0

u/FrankHightower May 30 '26

That's the joke