The first one was issued in 1936, for short

SSN

This nine-digit identifier is often needed for jobs or taxes and was originally introduced to track earnings under a New Deal program.

This clue refers to the Social Security Number, which the U.S. government first issued in 1936 as part of the Social Security Act. The "for short" hint tells you to use the three-letter abbreviation, SSN, instead of the full name. It’s a straightforward history-based clue with no wordplay—just a fact about when the program began.