Test your knowledge or learn a few things today — with this in mind, tease your brain with these bits of Social Security trivia:
When was the Social Security Act signed into law, and who signed it?
When did Social Security begin paying disability benefits?
Is there any significance to the digits in your Social Security number — or are they just random?
Answers: The Social Security Act was signed into law on Aug. 14, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Check out a picture of it at: www.socialsecurity.gov/history/fdrsign.html.
Although Congress and the White House discussed Social Security disability benefits as early as 1936, they did not enact a law until 1956. Learn more about disability benefits at: www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.
If your Social Security number was first issued to you before June 2011, the first three digits indicate the geographical region where you resided. Generally, numbers were assigned beginning in the northeast and moving westward — people on the east coast got the lowest numbers; west coast got the highest numbers. The remaining six digits just aided SSA’s early manual bookkeeping operations. As of June 2011, all numbers are randomly assigned without regard to region.
There’s more history to enjoy on Social Security’s history page. Tease your brain at: www.socialsecurity.gov/history.
Questions, online applications, or to make an appointment to visit a Social Security office, contact:
1-800-772-1213 (toll free) | 1-800-325-0778 (TTY)
www.socialsecurity.gov
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