The nation's first 911 emergency call was placed by an Alabama state politician on this day in history, Feb. 16, 1968.
The landmark moment came four years after the shocking unreported murder of a New York City woman proved to many Americans the need for a standard and easy-to-use system to call for emergency assistance.
"Senator Rankin Fite completed the first 911 call made in the United States in Haleyville, Alabama," writes NENA.org, the website of the National Emergency Number Association. "The serving telephone company was then Alabama Telephone Company. This Haleyville 911 system is still in operation today."
Before the advent of 911, people had to make a direct call to local emergency services, a nearby police station or a firehouse, most likely after sifting through the pages of the phone book — a large tome in major metropolitan areas.