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February 16: The Tiny Town That Beat AT&T to Create 911
How Haleyville, Alabama made the first 911 call in history
On February 16, 1968, a tiny Alabama town raced to beat AT&T and placed the first 911 call in history on a bright red phone that still draws visitors today.
Key Facts
First Call Date
February 16, 1968, at 2 PM in Haleyville, Alabama
Caller
Alabama Speaker of the House Rankin Fite from the mayor's office
Answerer
U.S. Congressman Tom Bevill on a bright red telephone at the police station
Phone Company
Alabama Telephone Company, an independent company serving rural areas
Company President
Bob Gallagher, whose father was a firefighter
Installation Time
Less than one week to build the entire 911 system in Haleyville
Beat AT&T By
Two weeks before AT&T's launch in Huntington, Indiana on March 1, 1968
Why 911
Easy to remember, fast on rotary phones, never used as an area or service code
Annual Calls Today
Over 240 million 911 calls per year across the United States
Daily Calls
Approximately 6.5 million 911 calls every single day
Nationwide Adoption
26 percent coverage by 1979, 93 percent by 2000
Red Phone Today
Displayed in a glass case at Haleyville City Hall with regular visitors
About February 16: The Tiny Town That Beat AT&T to Create 911
At 2 PM on February 16, 1968, a bright red telephone rang inside the police station of Haleyville, Alabama. Congressman Tom Bevill picked up and answered with a simple "Hello." That moment made Haleyville the birthplace of 911. The story of how a tiny town beat a telecom giant to make that call is one of the best underdog stories in American history.
A Small Town Races to Beat AT&T
Bob Gallagher, president of the Alabama Telephone Company, read in The Wall Street Journal that AT&T planned to launch 911. AT&T had left independent phone companies like his out of the plans. Gallagher, whose father was a firefighter, decided his company would get there first. He picked Haleyville because crews were already there and installed the system in less than a week.
Only 35 Days from Announcement to History
AT&T had announced 911 just 35 days earlier. The Alabama Telephone Company moved so fast that Haleyville beat AT&T's own launch in Indiana by two weeks. A company serving 20 percent of American phones outsmarted the largest telecom corporation in the world.
Why 911 Was the Perfect Number
Officials selected 911 because it was easy to remember and fast to dial on rotary phones. The combination had never served as an area code, service code, or local exchange. On rotary dials, the short distance of dialing 9, 1, and 1 meant callers could reach help in seconds.
The Red Phone That Changed Everything
Alabama Speaker Rankin Fite placed the call from the mayor's office to Congressman Tom Bevill at the police station. Bevill answered on a bright red telephone and simply said hello. That phone now sits in a glass case in Haleyville City Hall and still draws visitors every week, especially dispatchers making a pilgrimage to where their profession began.
From One Small Town to 240 Million Calls a Year
911 spread slowly. By 1979, only 26 percent of Americans could dial the number. That reached 50 percent by 1987 and 93 percent by 2000. Today Americans call 911 more than 240 million times a year, roughly 6.5 million calls every day, all tracing back to one red phone in a small Alabama town.
A Firefighter's Son Changed Emergency Response
Gallagher's personal connection drove the project. His father's firefighting career taught him why fast emergency access mattered. What started as a race against AT&T created the most recognized phone number in America and changed how people get help in their most critical moments.
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Historical Analysis
⚡Historical Significance
- •
The first 911 call on February 16, 1968, created a universal emergency response system that Americans now use more than 240 million times every year.
- •
The Alabama Telephone Company's race against AT&T demonstrated that independent companies could pioneer critical infrastructure, not just telecom giants.
- •
Before 911, Americans had no standard way to reach emergency services and had to know individual numbers for police, fire, and ambulance services in their area.
📝Critical Reception
- •
AT&T had announced plans for 911 just 35 days before Haleyville made the first call, and the telecom giant had excluded independent phone companies from their implementation plans entirely.
- •
The speed of implementation in Haleyville proved that the 911 system could be deployed quickly and affordably, removing a major barrier to nationwide adoption.
- •
Despite the successful first call, nationwide adoption moved slowly with only 26 percent of Americans able to dial 911 more than a decade later in 1979.
🌍Cultural Impact
- •
911 became the most recognized phone number in the United States, so universally known that children learn it as one of their first emergency skills.
- •
The system fundamentally changed emergency response times by giving every American a single, easy number to reach police, fire, and medical services.
- •
The bright red phone from the first call became a pilgrimage site for 911 dispatchers, symbolizing the birth of an entire profession dedicated to emergency communication.
Before & After
📅Before
Before February 16, 1968, Americans had no universal number to call in an emergency. Reaching help required knowing the specific phone number for the local police station, fire department, or hospital. In many areas, the only option was dialing zero for a telephone operator and hoping they could connect the call quickly enough. Response times suffered because there was no standardized system for routing emergency calls.
🚀After
After the first 911 call in Haleyville, the United States gradually built a nationwide emergency response network around a single three digit number. Today more than 240 million Americans call 911 each year, averaging 6.5 million calls per day. The system handles voice calls, text messages, and GPS data through modern dispatch centers. What started with one red phone in a small Alabama police station became the backbone of American emergency services and inspired similar systems worldwide.
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Did You Know?
•
The Alabama Telephone Company installed the entire 911 system in less than one week
•
Bob Gallagher chose to race AT&T partly because his father was a firefighter
•
The first person to answer a 911 call simply said hello into the red telephone
•
Americans now make over 240 million 911 calls every year or 6.5 million per day
•
The original red 911 phone still draws visitors every week at Haleyville City Hall
•
Only 26 percent of Americans could dial 911 more than a decade after it launched
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Why It Still Matters Today
•
Americans make over 240 million 911 calls per year, averaging 6.5 million calls every single day across the country
•
The 911 system has evolved from rotary phone calls to handling text messages, video, and GPS location data in modern dispatch centers
•
The original red phone from the first call still sits in a glass case at Haleyville City Hall and draws visitors weekly, especially working dispatchers
•
911 serves as the foundation of the entire American emergency response infrastructure, connecting callers to police, fire, and medical services instantly
•
The underdog story of a small Alabama company beating AT&T remains a celebrated example of innovation coming from unexpected places
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Test Your Knowledge
How much do you know? Take this quick quiz to find out!
1. Where was the first 911 call made?
2. How long did it take to install the first 911 system in Haleyville?
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Original Insights
•
Bob Gallagher's decision to race AT&T was partly personal because his father was a firefighter, giving him firsthand understanding of why fast emergency access saves lives
•
The Alabama Telephone Company chose Haleyville specifically because crews were already working in the area, allowing them to install the entire system in under a week
•
Congressman Tom Bevill answered the first 911 call with a simple hello, making the most historic emergency call in American history remarkably casual
•
The number 911 was selected because it had never served as an area code, service code, or local exchange, making it completely unique across the entire American phone system
•
Despite launching in 1968, 911 took over three decades to reach 93 percent of Americans, with only 26 percent covered by 1979 and 50 percent by 1987
Frequently Asked Questions
The first 911 call took place on February 16, 1968, at 2 PM in Haleyville, Alabama. Alabama Speaker Rankin Fite placed the call from the mayor's office to Congressman Tom Bevill at the police station. Bevill answered on a bright red telephone.
This article is reviewed by the Pagefacts team.
Editorial Approach:
This article tells the David vs Goliath story of how a tiny independent phone company in rural Alabama raced to beat AT&T and placed the first 911 call in American history, focusing on the personal motivation of a firefighter's son, the remarkable speed of installation, and the journey from one red phone to 240 million calls per year.
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