Today marks 50 years since the nation’s first 9-1-1 call was placed in Haleyville, Alabama.

On February 16, 1968, state Speaker of the House Rankin Fite made history when his staged emergency call was answered at a nearby police station by U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill.

Bevill’s successor, Rep. Robert Aderholt, gave a speech on the House floor yesterday recognizing the historic moment.

“This pioneering phone call remains a source of great pride in our city and our state,” Aderholt said.

He also announced that the red phone used to make the call, which lives in Haleyville’s city hall, will be temporarily showcased at the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

History of 9-1-1 from the National Emergency Number Association:

— In November 1967, the FCC met with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) to find a means of establishing a universal emergency number that could be implemented quickly.

— In 1968, AT&T announced that it would establish the digits 9-1-1 (nine-one-one) as the emergency code throughout the United States.

— The code 9-1-1 was chosen because it best fit the needs of all parties involved.

— First, and most important, it met public requirements because it is brief, easily remembered, and can be dialed quickly.

— Second, because it is a unique number, never having been authorized as an office code, area code, or service code, it best met the long range numbering plans and switching configurations of the telephone industry.

— Congress backed AT&T’s proposal and passed legislation allowing use of only the numbers 9-1-1 when creating a single emergency calling service, thereby making 9-1-1 a standard emergency number nationwide.

— Learn more about 9-1-1’s history here.