The number “9-1-1” is the universal emergency number for everyone in the United States. In 2000, approximately 150 million calls were made to 9-1-1, according to the National Emergency Number Association (NENA).

Prior to 1968, there was no standard emergency number. So how did 9-1-1 become one of the most recognized numbers in the United States? In 1967 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) met with AT&T to establish an emergency number. They wanted a number that was short and easy to remember. More importantly, they needed a unique number. Since 9-1-1 had never been designated for an office code, area code or service code, that was the number they chose.

Soon after, the U.S. Congress agreed to support 9-1-1 as the emergency number standard for the nation and passed legislation making 9-1-1 the exclusive number for an emergency calling service. A central office was set up by the Bell system to develop the infrastructure for the system.

On February 16, 1968, Alabama Senator Rankin Fite made the first 9-1-1 call in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama. The Alabama Telephone Company carried the call. A week later, Nome, Alaska implemented a 9-1-1 system. In 1973, the White House’s Office of Telecommunications issued a national statement supporting the use of 9-1-1 and pushed for the establishment of a Federal Information Center to assist government agencies in implementing the system.

After its initial acceptance in the late 1960’s, 9-1-1 systems spread quickly across the country. By 1979, about 26 percent of the population of the United States had 9-1-1 service, and nine states had passed legislation for the statewide 9-1-1 system. Through the latter part of the 1970’s, 9-1-1 service grew at a rate of 70 new local systems per year, according to NENA. Approximately 50 percent of the U.S. population had 9-1-1 service by 1987, and it was up to 93 percent by 1999.