Today in History: In 1968, 911 Emergency Telephone Service is inaugurated
Salvatore Phillip Bono was born on this day in 1951. Sonny Bono is best remembered as one half of Sonny and Cher.
1968: US 911 Emergency Telephone Service
The first 911 emergency telephone system is inaugurated in Haleyville, Ala. but due to problems with telephone service boundaries and electromechanical switching equipment which could not recognize the 911 number it is not until the mid 1980s that 911 works countrywide.
1989 – Scotland Pan Am Flight 103
Investigators in Lockerbie, Scotland, said a Semtex bomb and an electronic timer hidden inside a Toshiba radio cassette player in a case in the cargo hold had brought down Pan Am Flight 103 the previous December, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground. Contrary to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, which insist that the checked baggage of any passenger who failed to board be removed from the aircraft’s hold, Investigators found that the case that contained the bomb was an unaccompanied bag that had been routed onto PA 103, via the interline baggage system, from Luqa airport on Air Malta flight KM180 to Frankfurt, and then by feeder flight PA 103A to Heathrow.
The burial chamber of King Tutankhamen recently unearthed was opened in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor, inside was a spacious and beautifully decorated chamber completely occupied by an immense shrine covered with gold inlay and workmanship of this is truly amazing. This Chamber has been undisturbed for 3000 years and unlike many of the ancient relics in Egypt has not been robbed of it’s treasures. The historical interest of the discovery will provide Egyptologists with some of the best insight to that period in history.
1938 – Heavy Rain Texas
It was reported on this day that heavy rainfall occurred the evening before. Even though Texas is generally a warmer drier state than others, locals were not prepared for it. Instead they expected bitter winter temperatures. The concern about this rainfall is that colder weather was predicted for later in the week. This cold weather would then cause a complete freeze-over and West Texas would be covered with ice.
1983 – Australia Brush Fires
A total of 24 Brush fires spread across South Australia starting on this date. These fires had killed at least 75 people and had injured another 800. The cause of this fire was the extremely hot and dry climate that occurred in the year prior to this. Even though fires in this area are somewhat common, these fires were considered “different” because they had affected highly populated areas (small towns and/or cities). Otway, Gambeir, and Geelong were some smaller South Australian towns that were the hardest hit.
