Black History Knowledge — August 14

What happened on this day. These are the August 14 moments in Black history worth knowing, remembering, and passing on.

1908 — The Springfield Race Riot begins in Illinois

On August 14, 1908, a white mob began attacking Black residents, homes, and businesses in Springfield, Illinois. The three days of violence included two lynchings and helped spur activists to create the NAACP the following year.

1935 — Social Security Act is signed with major worker exclusions

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act, creating a national system of old-age benefits and unemployment insurance. The original program excluded agricultural and domestic workers, occupations filled disproportionately by Black workers, leaving many Black families outside its protections.

1936 — Rainey Bethea is killed in the nation’s last public execution

On August 14, 1936, Rainey Bethea, a young Black man convicted by an all-white jury, was publicly hanged in Owensboro, Kentucky. A crowd estimated at about 20,000 witnessed what became the last public execution in the United States.