1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:11,959 Speaker 1: Heart Radio, Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: a show that answers the call of history every day 4 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: of the week. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're looking 5 00:00:18,920 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: at how a small town in northwest Alabama put itself 6 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:24,960 Speaker 1: on the map by teaching the rest of the country. 7 00:00:25,079 --> 00:00:37,000 Speaker 1: How did dial one? The day was February sixty eight. 8 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:43,680 Speaker 1: The first official call was made in Haileyville, Alabama. It 9 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:48,120 Speaker 1: was a ceremonial call between two Alabama politicians, but it 10 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:50,920 Speaker 1: marked a turning point for the country, proving that a 11 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: universal emergency phone number could actually work in the US. 12 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,520 Speaker 1: Thirty years earlier, Great Britain became the first country to 13 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: establish such a service when it's set up as the 14 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,360 Speaker 1: number to call in the event of an emergency, but 15 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:11,040 Speaker 1: prior to ninety eight, the United States hadn't adopted that 16 00:01:11,200 --> 00:01:16,039 Speaker 1: particular improvement. Instead, people in need of assistance had to 17 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: contact the nearest police station, fire department, or hospital directly. 18 00:01:21,360 --> 00:01:23,560 Speaker 1: This meant they either had to track down the ten 19 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: digit number for each location or dial zero and get 20 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: a telephone operator to connect them. Sometimes people had to 21 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:35,160 Speaker 1: call multiple numbers until they reached someone who could actually help. 22 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:39,480 Speaker 1: As the twentieth century war on, some of the familiar 23 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: characteristics of modern society began to take shape. There was 24 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 1: a rise in crime and in the frequency of car 25 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: accidents and medical emergencies, all of which were exacerbated by 26 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: a continuously growing population. These concerns shined a light on 27 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: the inadequacy of the country's emergency reporting methods and created 28 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,800 Speaker 1: a pans of urgency around the issue. The first serious 29 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: appeal for a nationwide emergency phone number was made in 30 00:02:07,600 --> 00:02:11,639 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty seven, when the National Association of Fire Chiefs 31 00:02:11,840 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: suggested using a single number for reporting all the country's fires. 32 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:21,119 Speaker 1: Ten years later, in nineteen sixty seven, the President's Commission 33 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice finally took the 34 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 1: next logical step. It recommended that a single number should 35 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: be established not just for the nationwide reporting of fires, 36 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:38,440 Speaker 1: but for all emergency situations. Other government agencies and officials 37 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: endorsed the recommendation, and as a result, the Federal Communications Commission, 38 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:46,519 Speaker 1: or FCC called a meeting with a T and T, 39 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: the company that controlled almost all of the phone lines 40 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,919 Speaker 1: in the United States. The meeting was held in November 41 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: of nineteen sixty seven, with the intention of selecting a 42 00:02:57,440 --> 00:03:01,600 Speaker 1: universal emergency number that all party could agree to. A 43 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:05,120 Speaker 1: T and T recommended using nine one one for a 44 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: few reasons. First, it needed to be a number that 45 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: was short and easy for the public to remember, even 46 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: in times of stress. But more importantly, it needed to 47 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: be a unique number that had never been designated as 48 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,880 Speaker 1: an area code, office code, or service code. This would 49 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,520 Speaker 1: save time and money, since it would be easier for 50 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: the telephone company to program its equipment to accept a 51 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:32,160 Speaker 1: number that hadn't already been used for something else. Shortly 52 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:36,320 Speaker 1: after the number was chosen, the US Congress passed legislation 53 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: making nine one one the exclusive number for any emergency 54 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: calling service in the country. A T and T immediately 55 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 1: set up a central office and got to work developing 56 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,040 Speaker 1: the infrastructure needed for that new system. At the time, 57 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 1: A T and T had a monopoly in the telephone 58 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 1: market thanks to its reliable long distance service and its 59 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: ownership of Numera as Bell telephone subsidiaries in local markets. 60 00:04:04,040 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: The high cost of infrastructure and other barriers to entry 61 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: ensure that A. T and T would stay on top unchallenged. 62 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,840 Speaker 1: Being the first phone carrier to introduce the new nationwide 63 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: emergency number was said to be the latest sign of 64 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: the company's dominance. Except that's not actually how it went, 65 00:04:25,000 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: because A T and T was beaten to the punch 66 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: by the Alabama Telephone Company. Bob Gallagher was the president 67 00:04:32,880 --> 00:04:36,920 Speaker 1: of that independent carrier, and he didn't appreciate being excluded 68 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 1: from the process. After all, Congress had established the number, 69 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:43,840 Speaker 1: but there was no law saying that A T and 70 00:04:43,920 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: T had to be the first carrier to use it. 71 00:04:47,080 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: With that in mind, Gallagher went to the owner of 72 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:53,040 Speaker 1: the Alabama company and pitched the idea of setting up 73 00:04:53,080 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 1: their own system before A T and T. According to 74 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,880 Speaker 1: gallagher quote, they said, go get them, and off we went. 75 00:05:04,040 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: Of course, with much fewer resources at his disposal, Gallagher 76 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,360 Speaker 1: knew he had no time to waste. He reached out 77 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:14,480 Speaker 1: to an inside plant manager for the company named Robert 78 00:05:14,520 --> 00:05:18,039 Speaker 1: Fitzgerald and had him examine the schematics for the company's 79 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: twenty seven telephone exchanges. They chose Haileyville as the test 80 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,840 Speaker 1: site for the first call because its equipment had been 81 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:29,440 Speaker 1: recently updated and was best suited to be quickly modified 82 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: to receive nine calls. Fitzgerald then designed the necessary circuitry, 83 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,120 Speaker 1: and with the help of four technicians, he got the 84 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,920 Speaker 1: system up and running in less than one week, and 85 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: so on February sixteenth, nineteen sixty eight, the Haileyville system 86 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:50,880 Speaker 1: was ready for a test drive. The honor was done 87 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: by Alabama Speaker of the House Rank and Fight, who 88 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: placed the first one call to his colleague Tom Bevel, 89 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: a U S congressman who represented the seventh District of Alabama. 90 00:06:03,560 --> 00:06:06,239 Speaker 1: Fight made the call from an office in city Hall, 91 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: and Bevel answered it on a bright red telephone located 92 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: in the police department, which was located in the same building. 93 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: Also on hand for the event where Haileyville Mayor James Witt, 94 00:06:18,120 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: Public Service Commission President Eugene Connor, and the man who 95 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,200 Speaker 1: made it all happen, Bob Gallagher. Gallagher had scored a 96 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:28,680 Speaker 1: win for the little Guy, besting a T and T 97 00:06:28,960 --> 00:06:33,640 Speaker 1: at its own game. One week later, No Alaska followed 98 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 1: suit by establishing its own system. Progress slowed a bit 99 00:06:39,040 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: from there, and it was several years before the system 100 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:44,919 Speaker 1: was adopted on a wider scale, and even longer before 101 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: it became standardized across the country. Eventually, in seventy three, 102 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:53,240 Speaker 1: the White House issued an official statement in support of 103 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 1: one and encouraged the creation of a federal information center 104 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: to help government agencies implement the system nationwide. Although it 105 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: fell short of legislation or executive action, a thumbs up 106 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,000 Speaker 1: from the White House was still a push in the 107 00:07:09,080 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: right direction. From the mid to late nineteen seventies, the 108 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:17,400 Speaker 1: country's service grew at a rate of seventy new local 109 00:07:17,480 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: systems per year. By the end of the decade, more 110 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: than a quarter of the U S population had access 111 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:29,040 Speaker 1: to service. By nineteen eighty nine, the number had doubled 112 00:07:29,080 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: to more than fifty and ten years later, in nine 113 00:07:33,640 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: roughly cent of the US population was covered by service. 114 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: It was a leisurely thirty year rollout then, but we 115 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,680 Speaker 1: eventually got there. As for the talent of Hayleyville, where 116 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,920 Speaker 1: one began, the historic hall remains a source of pride 117 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: for residents. In fact, the town seal features a red 118 00:07:55,960 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: telephone receiver and the words home of nine one one. 119 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 1: Inside the entrance to city Hall, there's a small display 120 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 1: of framed photos and documents related to the landmark day, 121 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:11,320 Speaker 1: as well as the actual red rotary phone on which 122 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: the first nine one one call was received. Apparently it's 123 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:19,280 Speaker 1: a big draw for nine one one dispatchers, many of 124 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 1: whom travel from across the country to see this relic 125 00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 1: of their trade in person. The Red Phone was also 126 00:08:26,320 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: sent on tour to Washington, d C. In early twenty 127 00:08:29,440 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 1: eighteen to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the call. Thankfully, 128 00:08:34,000 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: it was returned to Haileyville in time for that year's 129 00:08:36,920 --> 00:08:41,320 Speaker 1: annual nine one one festival in June. Go to Haileyville 130 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: Chamber dot org to plan your visit. It's easy to 131 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: take the system for granted because for many of us 132 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:52,320 Speaker 1: it's been in place all our lives. It's become a 133 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:57,079 Speaker 1: ubiquitous feature of society, and today an estimated two hundred 134 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:00,320 Speaker 1: and forty million nine one one calls her aid in 135 00:09:00,320 --> 00:09:04,680 Speaker 1: the US each year. Given all that, it's remarkable that 136 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,680 Speaker 1: it's such a relatively recent invention, but I guess that's 137 00:09:08,720 --> 00:09:12,520 Speaker 1: the sign of a truly useful service. Once it's introduced, 138 00:09:12,960 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: you have no idea how you ever got along without it. 139 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:21,760 Speaker 1: I'm Gay Bluesier, and hopefully you now know a little 140 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:26,040 Speaker 1: more about history today than you did yesterday. If you'd 141 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,160 Speaker 1: like to keep up with the show, you can follow 142 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d i HC. Show. 143 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: You can also rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts, 144 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: or write to us directly at this Day at i 145 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,680 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for producing 146 00:09:43,679 --> 00:09:46,680 Speaker 1: the show, and thanks to you for listening. I'll see 147 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow for another Day in History 148 00:09:49,840 --> 00:10:01,800 Speaker 1: class from our podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the 149 00:10:01,800 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 150 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:05,280 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.