Wright Brothers Day, 2001

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Part V

The President

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Proclamation 7514--Wright Brothers Day, 2001

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 7514 of December 13, 2001

Wright Brothers Day, 2001

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

On December 17, 1903, from the dunes near Kitty Hawk,
North Carolina, Orville Wright made the first manned
flight in an engine-powered aircraft. Though the flight
only covered 120 feet and lasted just 12 seconds,
Orville and his brother Wilbur Wright changed history
on that cold and gusty winter day.

Success had not come easily to the Wright brothers.
Many thought powered flight impossible; and skeptics
called the Wrights dreamers for even entertaining the
idea. Undeterred, the Wrights spent years in study,
analyzing the flight of birds and experimenting with
model airplanes in their bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio.
After many trials and errors, the Wright brothers
finally achieved a controlled flight and opened the
door to a new world.

On December 17 of each year, we honor the Wright
brothers for their contributions to our Nation. Their
invention of powered flight made the world community
more connected. We have since traveled to the Moon and
back, and space shuttles orbit our planet. All of these
amazing advances can be traced back to that windy day
at Kitty Hawk when the indomitable will of the Wrights
persevered to triumph over the supposed impossible.

Air travel now is an essential part of this Nation's
everyday life. This proud industry will endure through
the new challenges presented by the tragedies of
September 11. Joining together as a Nation, we will
continue to strengthen security while maintaining the
economic and social benefits of an efficient air
transportation system.

This Wright Brothers Day we salute all the scientific
pioneers and visionaries who, despite the critics, have
over come seemingly insurmountable odds and made great
advances for man. The Wright brothers' perseverance and
creativity can serve as an inspiration for those
inventors who will take us to new heights in the 21st
century.

The Congress, by a joint resolution approved December
17, 1963 (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, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United
States, do hereby proclaim December 17, 2001, as Wright
Brothers Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two
thousand one, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth.

(Presidential Sig.)B