Issued June 27, 1940, this Social Security account number card belonged to Edward Potter McAleer. The Social Security program, created by the Social Security Act of 1935, was still in its infancy when this card was issued — part of a nationwide effort to register American workers under the new federal system. Signed in the recipient's own hand just months before the United States' pre-war defense buildup accelerated, the card is a small but telling piece of everyday civilian life on the eve of World War II. Project: 218156