Presidential Documents

76225 

Federal Register 

Vol. 79, No. 244 

Friday, December 19, 2014 

Title 3— 

The President 

Proclamation 9222 of December 16, 2014 

Wright Brothers Day, 2014 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

The United States has always been a land of exploration and innovation. 

Determined to build a Nation where all things were possible, our country’s 

Founders crossed a vast ocean and launched an improbable experiment 

in democracy. Early pioneers pushed west across sweeping plains. Dreamers 

toiled with hearts and hands to build cities, lay railroads, and power an 

automobile revolution. And on December 17, 1903, two brothers from Dayton, 

Ohio, would write their own chapter in America’s long history of discovery 

and achievement. 

After years of painstaking research and careful engineering, Orville and 

Wilbur Wright accomplished what was once unthinkable: the world’s first 

powered flight. Above the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they 

revolutionized modern transportation and extended the reach of humanity. 

Their inspiring feat opened the door to more than a century of progress 

and helped spark a new era of economic growth and prosperity. Today, 

we celebrate those 12 seconds of flight that changed the course of human 

events, and the determination and perseverance that made that moment 

possible. 

America has always succeeded because as a Nation, we refuse to stand 

still. As heirs to this proud legacy of risk takers and dreamers who imagined 

the world as it could be, we must constantly work to empower the next 

generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. That is why my Administration 

is investing in programs that encourage science, technology, engineering, 

and math education, especially for traditionally underrepresented groups. 

And we are fighting to ensure that innovators and startups have the resources 

and opportunities they need to build the future they seek. 

Our Nation brought the world everything from the light bulb to the Internet, 

and today—in laboratories and classrooms across America—our scientists 

and students carry forward this tradition as they work to develop new 

sources of energy and code the computer programs of tomorrow. Less than 

seven decades after Orville and Wilbur’s flying machine lifted into the 

air, American ingenuity brought us to Tranquility Base—and as the lunar 

module touched down on the surface of the Moon, it carried with it pieces 

of the brothers’ historic airplane. Today, the Wright brothers’ spirit lives 

on in the aspirations of a resolute people—to cure disease, walk on distant 

planets, and solve the biggest challenges of our time. 

On Wright Brothers Day, we lift up the scientists, entrepreneurs, inventors, 

builders, and doers of today, and all those who reach for the future. Let 

us recommit to harnessing the passion and creativity of every person who 

works hard in America and leading the world through another century 

of discovery. 

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. 


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76226 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 244 / Friday, December 19, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States 

of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2014, 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 fourteen, and of the 

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

[FR Doc. 2014–29992 

Filed 12–18–14; 11:15 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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