Seventy-five years ago, the government cut 65-year-old Ida May Fuller a check. It was numbered 00-000-001 - the first Social Security payout. Fuller, of Ludlow, Vermont, didn't realize it at the time, but her check helped launch the granddaddy of all entitlement programs. She had only paid three years' worth of payroll taxes before retiring but by the time of her death in 1975 at age 100, she collected $22,888.92 from Social Security monthly benefits. Scroll down for video Flashback: Seventy-five years ago, the government cut Ida May Fuller, 65, a check. It was numbered 00-000-001 - the first Social Security payout - here she is pictured in 1950 holding a Social Security check for $41.30
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Fuller died in 1975 at age 100, she never married and had no children
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In total, she had received $22,888.92 in benefits
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Social Security has undergone significant changes since Fuller received her first check, including the addition of disability benefits in 1956
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Today, 59 million retired workers, spouses, disabled workers and survivors get monthly payments averaging $1,194
Today, even as its future lies in financial uncertainty, many consider @placeholder one of government's biggest successes.
The changes shored up @placeholder's finances so it could absorb the initial wave of retiring baby boomers.