[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 245 (Monday, December 21, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 82871-82872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-28263]


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

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 82871]]

                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 wind-swept 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

[[Page 82872]]

                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 forty-fifth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2020-28263
Filed 12-18-20; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3295-F1-P