Wright Brothers Day, 1998

Proclamation 7160 of December 17, 1998

Wright Brothers Day, 1998

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On a December morning 95 years ago, over the windswept
sands of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur
Wright turned humanity's age-old dream of powered
flight into reality. The two brothers, bicycle
mechanics by trade and visionaries by nature, had
worked painstakingly for years to construct the first
power-driven craft that was heavier than air and
capable of controlled, sustained flight. After
persevering through many trials and discouraging
setbacks, they made their fourth trip to Kitty Hawk in
1903 and, on December 17, with Orville at the controls
and Wilbur running alongside, their airplane took
flight and took us into a new era. The achievement of
the Wright brothers was not only a great personal
success and a vindication of years of creative effort
and methodical experimentation--it was also a feat of
historic significance for the future of humankind.

Almost a century later, the same passion and power of
imagination that spurred the Wright brothers are
fueling the dreams of a new generation of Americans.
From John Glenn's second historic space flight to the
construction of the International Space Station, we
continue to open new frontiers and expand our horizons.
Just as the Wright brothers' inventions and
achievements created a new industry and revolutionized
transportation, commerce, and communication, today's
missions into space hold great promise for the
development of new technologies and industries to
benefit all humanity and strengthen our hopes for
lasting peace and prosperity for nations across the
globe.

This November, I was pleased to sign into law the
Centennial of Flight Commemoration Act, which
establishes a commission to coordinate the celebration
in 2003 of the 100th anniversary of the Wright
brothers' first flight. The commission's activities
will raise public awareness of the enormous
contributions of the Wright brothers to human progress;
remind the world of the triumph of American ingenuity,
inventiveness, and diligence in developing new
technologies; and inspire all Americans to recognize
that the daring, creativity, and spirit of adventure
reflected in the achievement of the Wright brothers
will be crucial to the success of our Nation in the
21st century.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December
17, 1963 (77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 169), 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, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim December
17, 1998, as Wright Brothers Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
seventeenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two
hundred and twenty-third.