Presidential Documents

82871 

Federal Register 

Vol. 85, No. 245 

Monday, December 21, 2020 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 10127 of December 16, 2020 

Wright Brothers Day, 2020 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

On this day 117 years ago, for a few short seconds over 120 feet of windswept beach in North Carolina, Orville Wright became the first person to 

achieve sustained, controlled, powered, and manned flight, forever altering 

the course of human history. The flying machine Orville piloted, which 

he and his brother Wilbur designed and constructed following years of 

research and testing, propelled mankind off the ground and into the skies. 

Today, we honor these tenacious and intrepid pioneers who paved the 

way for American leadership in aviation. 

The story of the Wright Brothers reflects the quintessential American values 

of perseverance, courage, and sheer grit. Neither Wilbur nor Orville graduated 

high school. Both brothers, however, possessed a fascination with new technology and mechanics. They taught themselves engineering through their 

work in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. Using a homemade wind tunnel, 

they collected data and developed new designs for propellers and wings, 

oversaw the creation of a new, specially made engine, and invented an 

innovative system for steering manned aircraft, solving problems that had 

plagued previous attempts at powered flight. Through trial and error and 

hundreds of test flights in gliders and prototypes, the Wright Brothers, 

in true American fashion, pushed beyond the boundaries of human discovery 

and exploration. Their tireless dedication and unyielding determination testify to the power of human ingenuity and produced a revolution in transportation, national defense, and global economic development. 

The Wright Brothers’ pursuits also established America’s role as the world’s 

foremost aviation leader and set the stage for future generations of American 

flight heroes. Just 24 years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight, Charles 

Lindbergh became the first person to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic 

Ocean, and 5 years later Amelia Earhart became the first woman to accomplish that same feat. Just a few weeks ago, our Nation mourned the loss 

of another aviation legend, Brigadier General Chuck Yeager. In a rocket 

plane named ‘‘Glamorous Glennis’’ after his beloved wife, Yeager flew at 

speeds in excess of 700 miles per hour, breaking the sound barrier for 

the first time in human history. This incredible feat occurred a mere 44 

years after the Wright Brothers’ first flight achieved a top airspeed of just 

34 miles per hour. In 1969, 22 years after Yeager’s flight, Neil Armstrong, 

an Ohioan like the Wright Brothers, became the first person to ever set 

foot on the lunar surface, thrusting American leadership in flight beyond 

the Earth’s atmosphere. And, earlier this year, the National Aeronautics 

and Space Administration (NASA) launched a commercially built and operated spacecraft to the International Space Station from American soil for 

the first time. With the same spirit that took the Wright Brothers into 

the sky, our brave astronauts are once again redefining the limits of human 

knowledge and discovery. 

December 17th is forever enshrined as the day the Wright Brothers launched 

a new era of American greatness. Today, as we reflect on the immeasurable 

influence the Wright Brothers had upon our society and the world, we 

resolve to continue breaking barriers, setting new horizons, and building 

82872 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 245 / Monday, December 21, 2020 / Presidential Documents 

a better and brighter future for all. In the years to come, Americans must 

continue to press further on the boundaries of sky and space and forge 

new frontiers for American success, just as Orville and Wilbur Wright courageously did more than a century ago. 

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December 17, 1963, as amended 

(77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 143), has designated December 17 of each year 

as ‘‘Wright Brothers Day’’ and has authorized and requested the President 

to issue annually a proclamation inviting the people of the United States 

to observe that day with appropriate ceremonies and activities. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States 

of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2020, as Wright Brothers 

Day. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day 

of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the 

Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortyfifth. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28263 

Filed 12–18–20; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F1–P 


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