Red Angus cattle originated in the British Isles and first
recorded references to them date back to 1805.
The first Angus herdbook, published in Scotland in 1862,
entered both reds and blacks without distinction. Early in the development of
the breed, Hugh Watson of Keilor, Scotland, arbitrarily decided that black was
the proper color for the breed - he could just as easily have chosen red. The
main difference between Red Angus and black Angus is their color.