The First 911 Emergency Call [Deep Dive] - February 16th, 2026

[00:00] Benjamin Roth: Hello and welcome to Deep Dive. I am Benjamin Roth. [00:04] Benjamin Roth: Today we are looking at a date that bridges the gap between the struggle for national identity [00:09] Benjamin Roth: and the very practical ways we protect one another in a crisis. [00:14] Benjamin Roth: It is a day about sovereignty and security. [00:17] Jonah Klein: And I'm Jonah Klein. It is February 16th, and we have a lot to cover today. [00:22] Jonah Klein: We are talking about everything from the birth of a nation to the birth of the emergency system we all take for granted, [00:29] Jonah Klein: plus some serious star power in our birthday segment. [00:32] Jonah Klein: It is going to be a fast one. [00:34] Benjamin Roth: Let us start with that quest for sovereignty. [00:37] Benjamin Roth: If we look back to 1918, February 16th marks a defining moment for the Baltic region. [00:44] Benjamin Roth: The Council of Lithuania unanimously adopted the Act of Independence, which restored the state with Vilnius as its capital. [00:53] Benjamin Roth: It was a bold move toward self-determination. [00:57] Jonah Klein: Right. It is wild to think about the timing. [01:00] Jonah Klein: This was right at the teal end of World War I. [01:02] Jonah Klein: They were basically breaking all prior ties to other nations in saying, [01:06] Jonah Klein: we are our own entity now. [01:08] Jonah Klein: It was a huge risk, but a massive statement of intent for the Lithuanian people. [01:13] Benjamin Roth: Exactly, Jonah. It was about more than just a document. It was the restoration of a cultural [01:20] Benjamin Roth: and political identity that had been suppressed for years. That desire for self-determination [01:26] Benjamin Roth: is a theme we see throughout history, though it takes many different forms depending on [01:31] Jonah Klein: the era. [01:33] Jonah Klein: Speaking of people who have carved out their own unique identities, we have some [01:37] Jonah Klein: heavy hitters celebrating birthdays today. [01:40] Jonah Klein: I want to start with a personal hero of mine, Lovar Burton, born in 1957. [01:45] Jonah Klein: He has such an incredible legacy. [01:47] Benjamin Roth: A truly multifaceted career. [01:50] Benjamin Roth: Most know him as Jordi Laforge on Star Trek The Next Generation. [01:55] Benjamin Roth: But his impact through Reading Rainbow is arguably his greatest contribution to education and literacy. [02:03] Benjamin Roth: He made reading feel like an adventure for millions of children. [02:08] Jonah Klein: No way can we overstate that impact. [02:10] Jonah Klein: He literally taught generations of kids that they could go anywhere just by opening a book. [02:16] Jonah Klein: And let's not forget his breakout in roots. [02:19] Jonah Klein: He has this incredible ability to be both authoritative and totally relatable. [02:24] Jonah Klein: It is a rare gift. [02:26] Benjamin Roth: That sense of presence is something he shares with another birthday celebrant, [02:31] Benjamin Roth: Maharshala Ali, born in 1974. [02:35] Benjamin Roth: He has a certain stillness in his performances that is just magnetic. [02:40] Benjamin Roth: You see it in Moonlight and Green Book. [02:43] Benjamin Roth: He commands the screen without saying a word. [02:46] Jonah Klein: He is a powerhouse, Benjamin. [02:49] Jonah Klein: Two Oscars, and he still feels like he is just getting started. [02:53] Jonah Klein: There's a precision to his work. [02:55] Jonah Klein: Whether he is in a small indie drama or a massive blockbuster, you can't look away from him. [03:01] Jonah Klein: That's remarkable. [03:02] Benjamin Roth: And completing this trio of talent is Elizabeth Olson, born in 1989. [03:09] Benjamin Roth: She has navigated the transition from acclaimed independent films to being a cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a lot of grace. [03:18] Benjamin Roth: She brings real depth to every role she takes on. [03:22] Jonah Klein: WandaVision was really the turning point there. [03:26] Jonah Klein: She took a character that could have been a one-dimensional superhero and turned her into a profound study of grief. [03:32] Jonah Klein: It is cool to see three such different actors all sharing the same birthday, each bringing something unique to the craft. [03:39] Benjamin Roth: While we are on the subject of significant moments in the 1960s, we have to talk about our fact of the day. [03:47] Benjamin Roth: At 2 p.m. on February 16, 1968, the very first 9-1-1 call was made in Haleyville, Alabama. [03:58] Benjamin Roth: It changed public safety forever. [04:01] Jonah Klein: This is one of those things you assume has always existed, but it started with one specific call. [04:07] Jonah Klein: Alabama State Representative Rankin-Fight placed the call from Mayor James Witt's office, [04:12] Jonah Klein: and it was answered at the local police station. [04:15] Jonah Klein: It was a proof of concept that changed the world. [04:18] Benjamin Roth: U.S. Representative Tom Baville was the one on the other end, [04:22] Benjamin Roth: answering on a bright red telephone provided by the Alabama Telephone Company. [04:28] Benjamin Roth: It seems almost cinematic now, but that single call established a protocol that has saved countless lives since. [04:36] Benjamin Roth: It modernized emergency response. [04:39] Jonah Klein: And Haleyville still celebrates it. [04:41] Jonah Klein: They have an annual festival to commemorate their place in history. [04:46] Jonah Klein: It is a reminder that big, world-changing ideas often start in small towns with a simple piece of technology and the initiative to try something new. [04:57] Benjamin Roth: Whether it is a nation declaring its independence or a community pioneering a new way to call for help, [05:05] Benjamin Roth: today reminds us that our world is built on these moments of initiative. [05:10] Benjamin Roth: It is about the courage to stand alone and the wisdom to work together. [05:16] Jonah Klein: Thanks for joining us on this journey through history. [05:19] Jonah Klein: To find more stories like these, [05:21] Jonah Klein: head over to deepdive.neuralnewscast.com for the full archive. [05:27] Jonah Klein: Deep dive is AI-assisted, human-reviewed. [05:31] Jonah Klein: Explore history every day on Neural Newscast.