[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 208 (Monday, December 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S6024]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 513--RECOGNIZING DECEMBER 17 AS ``WRIGHT BROTHERS 
  DAY'' AND COMMEMORATING THE 120TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FIRST POWERED 
                                 FLIGHT

  Mr. TILLIS (for Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
Vance, Mr. Braun, and Mr. Young)) submitted the following resolution; 
which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 513

       Whereas, on December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright 
     (referred to in this preamble as the ``Wright Brothers'') of 
     Dayton, Ohio, performed the first powered, controlled, 
     sustained, heavier-than-air flight, near Kitty Hawk, North 
     Carolina;
       Whereas the Wright Brothers continued their experiments and 
     flights in the United States and throughout Europe for people 
     to see the miracle of flight;
       Whereas the successful first flight by the Wright Brothers 
     launched a new era of exploration, from the solo 
     transatlantic flight by Charles Lindbergh, to the Apollo 11 
     moon landing by Neil Armstrong, and beyond;
       Whereas people of the United States achieved the first 
     supersonic flight less than 50 years after the first flight 
     by the Wright Brothers, and achieved manned spaceflight less 
     than 60 years after the first flight by the Wright Brothers;
       Whereas the modern commercial aviation system that links 
     the world through commerce, trade, and travel owes its 
     existence to the work of the Wright Brothers;
       Whereas the 3-axis control system devised for the ``Wright 
     Flyer'' remains the standard for fixed-wing aircraft;
       Whereas the original ``Wright Flyer'' remains on display at 
     the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian 
     Institution on the National Mall;
       Whereas the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil 
     Hills, North Carolina, welcomes more than 400,000 visitors 
     annually to the location of the first flight by the Wright 
     Brothers;
       Whereas the Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical 
     Park in Dayton, Ohio, welcomes more than 90,000 visitors 
     annually to the locations where the Wright Brothers lived, 
     worked, and conducted many test flights;
       Whereas the Wright Brothers gave rise to a world of 
     aviation supported and enjoyed by enthusiasts, hobbyists, and 
     aeronautical professionals across the world;
       Whereas the Wright Brothers finally realized the ancient 
     and universal human aspiration to defy gravity;
       Whereas, in 1959 and 1961, Congress passed, and the 
     President signed into law, joint resolutions designating 
     December 17 as ``Wright Brothers Day'';
       Whereas, in 1963, Public Law 88-209 (36 U.S.C. 143) 
     permanently designated December 17 each year as ``Wright 
     Brothers Day''; and
       Whereas the inventive, courageous, and perseverant nature 
     of the Wright Brothers exemplifies the spirit of the United 
     States and the people of the United States; Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes December 17 as ``Wright Brothers Day'';
       (2) commemorates December 17, 2023, as the 120th 
     anniversary of the first flight of Orville and Wilbur Wright; 
     and
       (3) calls on the people of the United States to observe 
     ``Wright Brothers Day'' with appropriate programs, 
     ceremonies, and activities.

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