Wright Brothers Day, 2024

Proclamation 10874 of December 16, 2024

Wright Brothers Day, 2024

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the bold vision,
steadfast determination, and transformative innovation
of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Their aircraft, which
completed the first sustained, controlled, and powered
flight 121 years ago, forever altered the course of
human history and took our Nation to new heights.

The Wright brothers embody the best of America's grit,
heart, and unstoppable spirit of ingenuity. Before they
took to the skies that fateful December day, the Wright
brothers had spent years conducting arduous research,
redesigns, and dangerous trials. They were driven by
the belief that what so many had written off as
impossible could actually be done--that sustained,
controlled, and powered flight was possible. And on the
sand dunes of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December
17, 1903, they were proven right--their aircraft, the
Wright Flyer, took flight for 12 seconds. In less than
a minute, that one feat altered our understanding of
technological possibilities and human potential
forever, laying the foundation for putting a man on the
moon; breaking the sound barrier; and beginning a new,
deeper exploration of our universe.

My Administration has been committed to building on
their legacy of innovation and advancement. We have
made improvements to modern air travel--from making
airports more accessible through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to making air travel safer. And we
have harnessed the spirit of American ingenuity in
everything we do, like tackling the climate crisis,
working toward ending cancer as we know it, and
ensuring that the technologies of the future will
benefit Americans for generations to come.

On Wright Brothers Day, we honor two visionary men from
Dayton, Ohio, who chose to look to the sky with not
just wonder but with an ambition to take Americans
where no one had gone before. Because of their work,
generations of visionary scientists, engineers, and
dreamers and doers have followed in their footsteps,
believing that, here in America, we do big things and
nothing is beyond our capacity.

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, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, do hereby proclaim
December 17, 2024, 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-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.