[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 127, 113th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

 
PROCLAMATION 9071--DEC. 16, 2013

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



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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.
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.
BARACK OBAMA