    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9222--DEC. 16, 2014

    Proclamation 9222 of December 16, 2014

    Wright Brothers Day, 2014

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    The United States has always been a land of exploration and innovation.
    Determined to build a Nation where all things were possible, our
    country's Founders crossed a vast ocean and launched an improbable
    experiment in democracy. Early pioneers pushed west across sweeping
    plains. Dreamers toiled with hearts and hands to build cities, lay
    railroads, and power an automobile revolution. And on December 17, 1903,
    two brothers from Dayton, Ohio, would write their own chapter in
    America's long history of discovery and achievement.
    After years of painstaking research and careful engineering, Orville and
    Wilbur Wright accomplished what was once unthinkable: the world's first
    powered flight. Above the sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, they
    revolutionized modern transportation and extended the reach of humanity.
    Their inspiring feat opened the door to more than a century of progress
    and helped spark a new era of economic growth and prosperity. Today, we
    celebrate those 12 seconds of flight that changed the course of human
    events, and the determination and perseverance that made that moment
    possible.
    America has always succeeded because as a Nation, we refuse to stand
    still. As heirs to this proud legacy of risk takers and dreamers who
    imagined the world as it could be, we must constantly work to empower
    the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs. That is why my
    Administration is investing in programs that encourage science,

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    technology, engineering, and math education, especially for
    traditionally underrepresented groups. And we are fighting to ensure
    that innovators and startups have the resources and opportunities they
    need to build the future they seek.
    Our Nation brought the world everything from the light bulb to the
    Internet, and today--in laboratories and classrooms across America--our
    scientists and students carry forward this tradition as they work to
    develop new sources of energy and code the computer programs of
    tomorrow. Less than seven decades after Orville and Wilbur's flying
    machine lifted into the air, American ingenuity brought us to
    Tranquility Base--and as the lunar module touched down on the surface of
    the Moon, it carried with it pieces of the brothers' historic airplane.
    Today, the Wright brothers' spirit lives on in the aspirations of a
    resolute people--to cure disease, walk on distant planets, and solve the
    biggest challenges of our time.
    On Wright Brothers Day, we lift up the scientists, entrepreneurs,
    inventors, builders, and doers of today, and all those who reach for the
    future. Let us recommit to harnessing the passion and creativity of
    every person who works hard in America and leading the world through
    another century of discovery.
    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, 2014, 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 fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    ninth.
    BARACK OBAMA