Thursday, February 02, 2006
Western Union - Nixes The Telegram
After 145 years, Western Union has quietly stopped sending telegrams.
It's the end of an era folks. Western union has decided that they will no longer offer a telegram service.
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."
Who can blame them? As I type this right now I can reach nearly every corner of the Earth just by the touch of a button in the comfort of my own home.
Still, it is always noteworthy when a technology that was so amazingly important when it was first created that it re-shaped the world. That era is gone forever, replaced by a newer technology that is doing the very same re-shaping: the Internet.
So long Telegram. You served us faithfully.
# posted by Publius @ 2/02/2006 02:09:00 AM 
|
