On this day in 1798: A win for President Adams, when Congress passed the Alien Act, allowing for the deportation of "dangerous aliens" from the United States.

On this day in 1868: President Andrew Johnson signed a law saying that government workers would work an eight-hour day.

On this day in 1929: President Herbert Hoover authorized the building of Boulder Dam, now known, of course, as Hoover Dam.

On this day in 1938: President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act, establishing a minimum wage for American workers. In nominal terms, the first minimum wage, in 1938, was 25 cents an hour — equivalent to about $4.10 in 2013 dollars.