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Today in history

Today in History: 1935, FDR signs Social Security Act

Today is Thursday, Aug. 14, the 226th day of 2025. There are 139 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, ensuring income for elderly Americans and creating a federal unemployment insurance ...

Today in History: 1961, East Germany closes Berlin border

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 13, the 225th day of 2025. There are 140 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 13, 1961, on what would become known as Barbed Wire Sunday, East Germany sealed the border between Berlin's eastern and western sectors before building a wall that would divide ...

Today in History: 1944, De Gaulle leads victory march through Paris

Today is Tuesday, Aug. 26, the 238th day of 2025. There are 127 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 26, 1944, French Gen. Charles de Gaulle braved the threat of German snipers as he led a victory march in Paris, which had just been liberated by the Allies from Nazi ...

Today in History: 1934, first prisoners reach Alcatraz

Today is Monday, Aug. 11, the 223rd day of 2025. There are 142 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 11, 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island, a former military prison, in San Francisco Bay; the island would be home to more than 1,500 prisoners over the ...

Today in History: 1945, U.S. bombs Nagasaki

Today is Saturday, Aug. 9, the 221st day of 2025. There are 144 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 9, 1945, three days after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, a U.S. B-29 Superfortress dropped a nuclear device over Nagasaki; the bombing and subsequent radiation poisoning ...

Today in History: 2023, devastating Maui wildfires

Today is Friday, Aug. 8, the 220th day of 2025. There are 145 days left in the year. Today in history: On Aug. 8, 2023, a series of wind-driven wildfires broke out on the Hawaiian island of Maui, destroying the town of Lahaina and killing more than 100 people. Also on this date: In ...