Many services running on modern digital telecommunications networks require accurate synchronization for correct operation.
[1] Thomas Edison achieved synchronization in his stock ticker with a clunky but effective unison mechanism to resynchronize periodically.
[2] In the teleprinter world, Howard Krum finally came up with a good decoding mechanism for async signals around 1912.
Once available, analog TVs, modems, tape drives, VCRs, and other common devices synchronized consistently.
Modern telecommunications networks use highly accurate primary master clocks that must meet the international standards requirement for long term frequency accuracy better than 1 part in 1011.