The 911 emergency phone number in the United States was created and first used in 1968.

Key date and place

  • The first 911 system in the U.S. was established in Haleyville, Alabama.
  • The very first 911 call was made there on February 16, 1968, by Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite, and answered by U.S. Representative Tom Bevill.

How the idea came about

  • In 1967, a presidential commission recommended a single nationwide number for emergencies, because having different local numbers for police, fire, and medical services caused delays.
  • Later that year, federal regulators met with AT&T, and AT&T announced 911 in early 1968 as the dedicated national emergency number, chosen because it was short and not used as an area or office code.

Expansion over time

  • After the first call in 1968, cities and states gradually adopted 911 over the next decades, so nationwide coverage took years rather than happening instantly.
  • Canada adopted 911 in 1972, with the first Canadian 911 call following a rollout in London, Ontario in 1974.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.