Western Union's wires don't carry telegrams anymore -- they keep on humming with international money transfers. The firm has an agent network of about 500,000 agent locations in more than 200 countries worldwide that allows individuals and business customers to transfer money or make payments (in more than 130 currencies) electronically. The pioneering company has taken advantage of technological advances and rolled with the changes since it was founded in 1851. Starting out as a messaging medium, it then added the US's first stock ticker, helped standardize timekeeping nationally, debuted an early charge card and the singing telegram, and finally shifted to money transfer services.