America was on the verge of civil war and needed a reliable connection between the North and South. On the telegraph market of the USA at this time were operated with six large companies: American Telegraph Company, New York Albany and Buffalo Electro-Magnetic Telegraph Company, Atlantic and Ohio Telegraph, Illinois & Mississippi Telegraph Company, New Orleans & Ohio Telegraph Company, and the brainchild of Sibley & Co. - The Western Union Telegraph. In the 30's of the twentieth century, Western Union has become the world's largest telegraph company. Western Union offers one of the easiest ways for families and friends to send money and stay connected almost anywhere in the world. July 3, 1884 the company's shares were included in the calculation base for the newly created stock index Dow Jones Transportation Average. One of the common kinds of money transfer is a transfer via the international system of Western Union.