Because of the massive unemployment and poverty caused by the Great Depression, the government realized that it had to do something to protect employees from unemployment, illness, and old age. The first step taken was the Social Security Act of 1935, Employees used to sue their employers to receive compensation after a work-related injury or illness. Also, the new act created a social insurance program designed to pay worker a pension after retirement. According to the official Social Security web site www.socialsecurity.gov, the first SSN was issued in November 1936, and over 35 million SSN cards were issued in the following two years.