On Aug.14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law.

In 1945, President Harry S. Truman announced that Imperial Japan had surrendered unconditionally, ending World War II.

In 1948, the Summer Olympics in London ended; they were the first Olympic games held since 1936.

In 1969, British troops went to Northern Ireland to intervene in sectarian violence between Protestants and Roman Catholics.

In 1973, U.S. bombing of Cambodia came to a halt.

In 2003, a huge blackout hit the northeastern United States and part of Canada; 50 million people lost power.

In 2008, President George W. Bush signed legislation that banned lead from children’s toys, imposing the toughest standard in the world.