A Bowie Knife is a fighting knife that was created by James Black for Jim Bowie in the 19th century.
I was not aware that James Black created the knife. I always though Bowie created it. 
Jim Bowie designed the knife and James black made the improvements.
So it was a collaborative effort to create the knife. I feel that the Bowie knife is one of the most iconic knifes in history.
The knife pattern is still very popular with collectors and is often replicated.
Didn't Jim Bowie die at the Alamo?
James Bowie
James Bowie ( ) ( – March 6, 1836) was a 19th-century American pioneer who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution, culminating in his death at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of him as a fighter and frontiersman, both real and fictitious, have made him a legendary figure in Texas history and a folk hero of American culture.
Born in Kentucky, Bowie spent most of his life in Louisiana, where he was raised and where he later worked as a land speculator
Bowie knife
A Bowie knife ( ) is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife created by James Black in the early 19th century for Jim Bowie, who had become famous for his use of a large knife at a duel known as the Sandbar Fight.
Since the first incarnation, the Bowie knife has come to incorporate several recognizable and characteristic design features, although in common usage the term refers to any large sheath knife with a crossguard and a clip point. The knife pattern is still popular with collectors; in