• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to footer

The JackB

"When you're in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, 'Damn, that was fun'." Groucho Marx

  • About Jack
    • Other Places You Can Find Me
  • Contact Me
    • Disclosure
  • About Jack
    • Other Places You Can Find Me
  • Contact Me
    • Disclosure

Western Union- No More Telegrams

February 2, 2006 by Jack Steiner 6 Comments

Share
Pin
Share
0 Shares

When I read this story I wasn’t all that surprised by the news but it did hit me as a big change. It is not that I received all that many telegrams but I am old enough to appreciate them. They have been a part of pop culture references in cartoons and movies and more.

But they are not going to be part of my children’s vernacular and that makes me feel a little bit older than I am.

“After 145 years, Western Union has quietly stopped sending telegrams.

On the company’s web site, if you click on “Telegrams” in the left-side navigation bar, you’re taken to a page that ends a technological era with about as little fanfare as possible:

“Effective January 27, 2006, Western Union will discontinue all Telegram and Commercial Messaging services. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you, and we thank you for your loyal patronage. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact a customer service representative.”

The decline of telegram use goes back at least to the 1980s, when long-distance telephone service became cheap enough to offer a viable alternative in many if not most cases. Faxes didn’t help. Email could be counted as the final nail in the coffin.

Western Union has not failed. It long ago refocused its main business to make money transfers for consumers and businesses. Revenues are now $3 billion annually. It’s now called Western Union Financial Services, Inc. and is a subsidiary of First Data Corp.

The world’s first telegram was sent on May 24, 1844 by inventor Samuel Morse. The message, “What hath God wrought,” was transmitted from Washington to Baltimore. In a crude way, the telegraph was a precursor to the Internet in that it allowed rapid communication, for the first time, across great distances.”

(Visited 34 times, 1 visits today)

Share this:

  • Share
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Things You Might Read

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jack's Shack says

    February 4, 2006 at 6:11 am

    Bill Stop Now you Know Stop

    Reply
  2. Bill says

    February 3, 2006 at 3:20 pm

    Didn’t know that WU was still doing telegrams “STOP!”

    Reply
  3. Jack's Shack says

    February 2, 2006 at 4:56 pm

    Michael- STOP You are STOP Killing Me STOP 🙂

    BF,

    It is a good question. At the moment I have a hard time seeing that happen, but who knows.

    Q,

    I am glad that you like it. Maybe one day I’ll turn this into a whole venture. Things You Don’t to Know but Ought to.

    Reply
  4. Stephen (aka Q) says

    February 2, 2006 at 2:23 pm

    What an informative blog you have, Jack. Keep it up and you’re going to be able to charge a subscription fee — where else would we get some of this information?

    Reply
  5. bornfool says

    February 2, 2006 at 2:18 pm

    I wonder how long before ssnail mail follows suit.

    Reply
  6. michael says

    February 2, 2006 at 1:47 pm

    as I heard on a Toronto (Canada) radio station this morning, “anybody going to miss this?” STOP!

    Please ensure all comments on this topic end in “STOP!” STOP! 🙂

    With Jack’s permission of course. STOP!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Footer

Things Someone Wrote

The Fabulous Archives

Copyright © 2025 · Jack Steiner