[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