[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 14, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 65185-65186]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22908]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 199 / Wednesday, October 14, 2020 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 65185]]


                Proclamation 10097 of October 8, 2020

                
Leif Erikson Day, 2020

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                More than 1,000 years ago, the Norse explorer and 
                Viking Leif Erikson made landfall in modern-day 
                Newfoundland, likely becoming the first European to 
                discover the New World. Today, Leif Erikson represents 
                over a millennium of shared history between the Nordic 
                countries and the Americas and symbolizes the many 
                contributions of Nordic Americans to our great Nation.

                Accomplished in the face of daunting danger and carried 
                out in service of Judeo-Christian values, Leif 
                Erikson's story reflects the fundamental truths about 
                the American character. On a mission to evangelize 
                Greenland, Leif Erikson and his crew were blown off 
                course. They had to brave the cold waters of the 
                northern Atlantic to find safe harbor on the North 
                American coastline. In surviving this ordeal, these 
                hardened Vikings tested the limits of human exploration 
                in a way that continues to inspire us today.

                In 1825, six Norwegian families repeated this voyage, 
                landing their sloop in New York Harbor in the first 
                organized migration to the United States from 
                Scandinavia. Like the Puritans and pilgrims before 
                them, these people came to our Nation seeking religious 
                freedom and safety from persecution. Now, more than 11 
                million Americans can trace their roots to Denmark, 
                Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden, and among them 
                stand Nobel Laureates, Academy Award winners, and 
                Legion of Merit recipients. Across our Nation, from the 
                Danish villages of western Iowa to the Norwegian Ridge 
                in Minnesota and the Finns of Michigan's Upper 
                Peninsula, Nordic Americans have left their mark on our 
                culture, economy, and society.

                Nordic countries remain strong economic partners and 
                military allies of our Nation. They each hold important 
                roles in the Arctic Council, facilitating cooperation 
                on economic development, environmental conservation, 
                and indigenous rights. As North Atlantic Treaty 
                Organization Allies and partners, all five Nordic 
                countries greatly contribute to the peace and stability 
                of the transatlantic community and the entire world. 
                The United States greatly values their continued 
                friendship.

                On Leif Erikson Day, we celebrate Nordic Americans 
                whose firm faith and resolve are woven into the fabric 
                of our Nation, and we commit to continuing our strong 
                diplomatic relationship with Scandinavian nations for 
                years to come.

                To honor Leif Erikson, son of Iceland and grandson of 
                Norway, and to celebrate our Nordic-American heritage, 
                the Congress, by joint resolution (Public Law 88-566) 
                approved on September 2, 1964, has authorized the 
                President of the United States to proclaim October 9 of 
                each year as ``Leif Erikson Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States, do hereby proclaim October 9, 2020, as 
                Leif Erikson Day. I call upon all Americans to 
                celebrate the contributions of Nordic Americans to our 
                Nation with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and 
                programs.

[[Page 65186]]

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

[FR Doc. 2020-22908
Filed 10-13-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P