[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 244 (Thursday, December 19, 2013)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 76971-76972]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30463]



[[Page 76969]]

Vol. 78

Thursday,

No. 244

December 19, 2013

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9071--Wright Brothers Day, 2013
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  Federal Register / Vol. 78 , No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2013 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 76971]]

                Proclamation 9071 of December 16, 2013

                
Wright Brothers Day, 2013

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                On December 17, 1903, decades of dreaming, 
                experimenting, and careful engineering culminated in 12 
                seconds of flight. Wilbur and Orville Wright's airplane 
                soared above the wind-blown banks of Kitty Hawk, North 
                Carolina, pushing the boundaries of human imagination 
                and paving the way for over a century of innovation. On 
                Wright Brothers Day, our Nation commemorates this once 
                unthinkable achievement. We celebrate our scientists, 
                engineers, inventors, and all Americans who set their 
                sights on the impossible.

                America has always been a Nation of strivers and 
                creators. As our next generation carries forward this 
                proud tradition, we must give them the tools to 
                translate energy and creativity into concrete results. 
                That is why my Administration is dedicated to improving 
                education in the vital fields of science, technology, 
                engineering, and mathematics (STEM). We are working to 
                broaden participation among underrepresented groups, 
                and through Race to the Top, we are raising standards 
                and making STEM education a priority. Last year, we 
                announced plans to create a national STEM Master 
                Teacher Corps--a group of the best STEM teachers in the 
                country, who will receive resources to mentor fellow 
                educators, inspire students, and champion STEM 
                education in their communities.

                As we remember the Wright brothers, let us not forget 
                another Wright who took up the mission of powered 
                flight. Orville and Wilbur's sister, Katharine, used 
                her teacher's salary to support the family and ran the 
                Wrights' bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio, while her 
                brothers worked in Kitty Hawk. She went on to manage 
                press, conduct business with foreign dignitaries and 
                heads of state, and wrangle support for the burgeoning 
                aviation enterprise. Today, let all of us draw 
                inspiration from a family who taught us that when bold 
                ideas meet scientific thinking and tireless 
                experimentation, the sky is no limit.

                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, BARACK OBAMA, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 
                17, 2013, as Wright Brothers Day.

[[Page 76972]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2013-30463
Filed 12-18-13; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F4