ST. PAUL, Minn.—Barber Pole No. 34,889 has seen better days. After spending more than 40 years in front of Twin Cities barbershops, its red-white-and-blue-striped cylinder is sun-faded and in pieces ...

Barber shops don't exactly have a hard time standing out on the streetscape, and it's largely thanks to the mesmerizing poles that spin just outside of their door fronts. But where'd that barber pole ...

The barber pole traces its origins back to a time when barbers were not just haircutters, but surgeons responsible for bloodletting, amputations, leeching, dentistry, and other medical procedures.