ABSTRACT

Consider these basic, familiar aspects of contemporary life. What do they all have in common?

• The first 911 emergency telephone system was set up in Alabama in 1968. By the 1970s, the simple, uniform system had spread throughout the United States. Since then, millions of Americans faced with an emergency have rushed to phone 911, and thousands of lives have been saved as a result. Have you ever wondered how this national emergency response system came into being?