Western Union

Western Union, shortened name for Western Union Telegraph Company, U.S. communications company. When the company was founded (1851), it telegraphed information from location to location in the eastern half of the United States. By the end of its first decade, a transcontinental telegraph system was in place. At the turn of the century, transatlantic telegraph cables existed. As a means of communication, telegraphs allowed for immediate transmittal of messages. To keep up with technological advances, Western Union has developed transmitting towers that communicate messages through radio beams (beginning in 1945), satellite communications (beginning in 1974), telex services (beginning in 1982), and an electronic mail service called EasyLink (beginning in 1982), which allows computers to communicate with each other. Today this company, based in New Jersey, is called Western Union Corporation (1970).

See also: Telegraph.