August 14, 1934 - President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law, creating the most successful anti-poverty program in U.S. history.

August 14, 1999 - Former AFL-CIO President Lane Kirkland died at the age of 77. A longtime assistant to AFL-CIO President George Meany, Kirkland succeeded Meany upon his death in 1979. Kirkland resigned in mid-1995, when it became clear unions were seeking new leadership in the federation. Kirkland may have been best known for his staunch anti-Communism and strong support of the Solidarity movement in Poland.