Western Union's Era Has Officially Ended

I remember receiving for my 10th birthday, way back in 1971, a Western Union telegram from friends in England.  That birthday wish was one I kept around for more years than I would have kept a birthday card.  Being one of those science minded young boys, I was always intrigued with technology and the history behind it.  Like how those messages could be zipped around the world.

As of January 27th of this year, the telegram days of Western Union have come to an end.  This comes 155 years after the start of the company way back in 1851.  Consider some of the other history behind the company:

1866: Introduced the first stock ticker.
1871: Introduced money transfers.
1884: Became one of the original 11 stocks tracked by the Dow Jones Average.
1914: Introduced the first consumer charge card.
1964: Began using a transcontinental microwave beam to replace land lines.
1974: Launched Westar I, the first U.S. dedicated communications satellite.

For now, it looks like their money transfer business is all that remains.

(HT: Outside the Beltway)

-Colonel Steve