This Day in History

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

On this date:

In 1848, the Oregon Territory was created.

In 1900, international forces, including U.S. Marines, entered Beijing to put down the Boxer Rebellion, which was aimed at purging China of foreign influence.

In 1917, China declared war on Germany and Austria during World War I.

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

In 1947, Pakistan became independent of British rule.

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 1980, President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale were nominated for second terms at the Democratic national convention in New York.

In 1992, the White House announced that the Pentagon would begin emergency airlifts of food to Somalia to alleviate mass deaths by starvation.

In 1997, an unrepentant Timothy McVeigh was formally sentenced to death for the Oklahoma City bombing.

In 2003, a huge blackout hit the northeastern United States and part of Canada; 50 million people lost power. Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed consumer-safety legislation that banned lead from children’s toys, imposing the toughest standard in the world. Five years ago: Israeli and Palestinian negotiators kicked off their first substantive round of peace talks in nearly five years, meeting at an undisclosed location in Jerusalem. Riot police swept away two encampments of supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo, sparking running street battles. Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., was sentenced to 2 ½ years in prison for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items.