Barbed wire was also a very popular way to stimulate a variety of conditions. It was a popular way to test the strength and stiffness of many materials such as clothing and equipment as soldiers have to pick their way through sharp spikes. Barbed wire went from being primarily defensive to a deadly tool during World War I. Some soldiers during World War I strung wire to defend their trench to create areas where the enemy could be trapped and killed. Its ability to trap made it “Barbed wire was used to funnel enemy assault forces into prepared kill zones, covered by machine gun or artillery target points,” said Wyatt Evans. “In their haste to cross no man's land and reach enemy positions, they sometimes mistakenly ended up in kill zones,” (Sloat) said. After the First Battle of the Marne and the increase in static trench warfare on the Western Front, barbed wire appeared on both sides of No Man's Land in ever-increasing quantities. The transformation of barbed wire from this mixed economy to the mechanized landscape of modern warfare would forever transform its symbolic meanings while maintaining its original purpose. Barbed wire suited the nature of fighting during the war and was essential for defending the trenches. Some citizens filed lawsuits and engaged in remote wars to protest the fence. Barbed wire also constrained many