During the explosive November 2013 rally, Bitcoin's total market capitalization briefly surpasses that of Western Union, one of the world's oldest and largest money transfer companies. Western Union, founded in 1851, had spent over 160 years building a global remittance network with 500,000 agent locations -- and a digital currency barely four years old had just eclipsed it in market value. The milestone was a powerful symbol of disruption and validated the thesis that Bitcoin could challenge legacy financial infrastructure. The comparison between a centuries-old company and a nascent protocol became a favorite talking point for Bitcoiners.
Wikipedia: History of Bitcoin