Let’s Celebrate Social Security’s Anniversary With Five Fun Facts

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935. In recognition of Social Security’s 89^th anniversary, we’ve compiled five fun facts about this fundamental program:

1. The Social Security Act of 1935 was originally named the Economic Security Act, but its title was changed when Congress was considering the bill. The term “social security” was first used in the U.S. by Abraham Epstein in connection with his group, the American Association for Social Security.
2. Social Security started as a retirement plan. Under the original law, retirement benefits were paid only to the primary worker. A 1939 change in the law added survivors benefits and benefits for the retiree’s spouse and children. Disability benefits were added in 1956.
3. Despite enacting the Social Security Act, President FDR and members of Congress were not able to receive benefits. In fact, members of Congress, the President and Vice President, Federal judges, and most political appointees, were covered under the Social Security program until January 1984.
4. The first person to receive monthly Social Security benefits was a legal secretary named Ida May Fuller. According to the Social Security Administration, she worked for three years under the Social Security program. The accumulated taxes on her salary during those three years was a total of $24.75. Her initial monthly check was $22.54. She lived to be 100 and collected a total of $22,888.92 in Social Security benefits during her lifetime.
5. The Social Security Administration does not reuse Social Security numbers. Since the program’s inception, more than 453 million different numbers have been issued. Despite giving out about 5.5 million new numbers each year, Social Security says it has enough possible new numbers to last several generations.

For more interesting trivia, be sure to check out the Social Security Administration’s FAQs page.

The Seniors Trust wants to see more people like Ida Fuller live long lives while receiving adequate Social Security benefits. That’s why we are urging Congress to enact the Social Security Expansion Act. This landmark piece of legislation will increase monthly benefits, establish a fair cost-of-living adjustment, and shore up the long-term solvency of the Social Security program ensuring it is around for another 89 years and longer!