Saturday, February 04, 2006

Last Telegram Delivered Friday


FEBRUARY 03, 2006 (COMPUTERWORLD) - After more than 155 years during which it delivered millions of telegrams around the world, bringing news of births, deaths, weddings, wars and more, Western Union delivered its last telegram messages last Friday, ending a means of communication that began before the U.S. Civil War.
Another excerpt:
From a peak of 200 million telegrams in 1929, Western Union's telegram business had plunged in recent years, and only 20,000 messages were sent in 2005, Wheeler said. “The telegram was the beginning of Western Union, and obviously, over time, with the introduction of the telephone, the Internet and e-mail ... Western Union changed its business and became a financial services company," he said. "Dropping the telegram services was the last step in becoming a full-time financial services business.
Source-Full Story

Western Union’s Announcement

The above picture is a telegram sent A Western Union telegram from the Wilsons to the McCormicks, dated December 24, 1921, wishing him a Merry Christmas. (original document)Pres. Woodrow Wilson Died: February 3, 1924 in Washington D.C. Biography of Woodrow Wilson

In my lifetime, I have received a couple of telegrams and it was an exciting experience. It is sad to see this service and a bit of history end. Have any of you ever received a telegram or had a family or relative receive one?Will fix this soon, was erased by blogger this a.m.

Due to Blogger Tech Problems, I will fix this post soon.