Another invention of Western Union - time synchronization. In 1995, First Financial Management was acquired by First Data Corp. (the deal amounted to $ 7 billion), and Western Union Financial Services became a subsidiary of First Data. By 1861 Western Union telegraph lines entangled the whole America. It's time to explore Europe. One of the common kinds of money transfer is a transfer via the international system of Western Union. In 1879 Western Union left the telephone business after losing a lawsuit against Alexander Graham Bell - the patent holder on the phone.