It's the number you go to in an emergency...and it's been a lifeline for millions over the past half century. It was 50 years ago today -- February 16th, 1968 that the first 911 call was complete in Haleyville, Alabama. The 9-1-1 system was created after the FCC met with AT&T a year earlier to establish a universal emergency number. The National Association of Fire Chiefs had called for a single number to report fires a decade earlier. AT&T settled on 9-1-1 because it was easy to remember and easy to dial on rotary phones. Prior to the 9-1-1 system, calls had to reach an operator to report an emergency.Courtesy ABC News Radio
