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End of an era. - 2/1/2006 2:14:19 PM

Mercnbeth

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REALLY REALLY REALLY Off Topic...

I don't really know why I found this sad. Maybe it's because I never received or sent a telegram. I remember in old movies how getting a telegram was a good way to interject some important news in a dramatic way. Usually it meant something important; good or bad. The character would read the mechanical looking type; sometimes you could read along and see the WESTERN UNION banner at the top. The message would be interspersed with the word -STOP- to indicate punctuation.

I'm remember some of my favorite telegram movie references...

Cabaret: Sally getting the 7 word message from her dad. (Extra charge after 7)
Rocky: All the telegrams taped to the wall before the first fight with Apollo Creed.

Has anyone ever received a telegram? Good or bad news?

quote:

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."

Other Western Union highlights:

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

Full Article: http://www.livescience.com/technology/060131_western_union.html

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 4:24:22 PM

windchymes

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That is kind of sad, I know what you mean. Thanks for the info.

Along the same vein, same goes for the Associated Press and United Press International teletypes that used to run constantly and noisily in my college radio station, back in the old days. I remember doing "rip & reads" for the hourly news broadcasts.

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 4:42:28 PM

maybemaybenot

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mercnbeth

That is very sad news. All their lives, my grandparents lived in Scotland. They had no telephone, even as late as the mid 80's. As a little girl I remember the excitement anticipating their telegrams for my birthday and on New Years Eve. A tradition that continued until they passed. I still have each and every one of them. I haven't thought or looked at them in years. This little bit of news made me a bit meloncoly, and tomorrow, I will go into the cellar and dig them out of storage and re read each one. It will bring a nice little smile to my soul.

mbmbn

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 4:47:34 PM

Mercnbeth

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quote:

It will bring a nice little smile to my soul.

Thanks for sharing such a touching story. Enjoy your memories!

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 4:51:01 PM

RiotGirl

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that is sad and i've never sent or recieved a telegram. And honestly i didnt realise that they were still possible. Its sad because were losing a tie to the past.

moving forward - the age of lightening fast information

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 4:59:47 PM

stef

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quote:

ORIGINAL: windchymes

That is kind of sad, I know what you mean. Thanks for the info.

Along the same vein, same goes for the Associated Press and United Press International teletypes that used to run constantly and noisily in my college radio station, back in the old days. I remember doing "rip & reads" for the hourly news broadcasts.

In that case, the death of those teletypes was a good thing. Now all the feeds are available in electronic form and there are no more screaming trees

~stef

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 5:45:56 PM

IrishMist

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quote:

Has anyone ever received a telegram? Good or bad news?

/nods

I received one three days before Christmas, 1996....though I don't know if that would have really been classified as a telegram of this sort...mine was from the military.

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 9:37:45 PM

Misstoyou

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quote:

ORIGINAL: Mercnbeth

Has anyone ever received a telegram? Good or bad news?

A long time before cell phones (I was in college) a friend reached me by telegraph from Africa while I was traveling in Portugal with my grandmother. Talk about romantic! I swooned.

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 10:26:48 PM

subfever

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quote:

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."

I've never sent or received a telegram, but it is a little sad that we're losing still another tie to our past. Now I kind of wish I'd made the effort to send one when I had the opportunity.

I'm rather surprised how quietly this all came to an end. I hadn't heard or seen anything about this until reading this thread.

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RE: End of an era. - 2/1/2006 10:30:02 PM

UtopianRanger

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quote:

I'm remember some of my favorite telegram movie references...

Cabaret: Sally getting the 7 word message from her dad. (Extra charge after 7)
Rocky: All the telegrams taped to the wall before the first fight with Apollo Creed.

Has anyone ever received a telegram? Good or bad news?

I agree.. that is sad. I was in Guatemala a few years back and they were still very popular. With the advent of satellite phones/communications, I guess the system has been rendered obsolete. I've never received or sent one... but I have paid for a ''singing telegram'' before, if that qualifies LOL!

- The Ranger

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