Wright Brothers Day, 2006

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Part VI

The President

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Proclamation 8091--Wright Brothers Day, 2006

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8091 of December 15, 2006

Wright Brothers Day, 2006

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

America has a rich history of exploration and
discovery, marked by scientific and technological
achievements that have transformed the world. On Wright
Brothers Day, we remember two aviation pioneers from
Ohio whose big dreams and extraordinary accomplishments
helped change the course of human history.

On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright
completed the first manned, powered flight in history
and ushered all of mankind into a new era of
possibility and promise. With Orville at the controls,
the Wright brothers' small aircraft traveled 120 feet
in 12 seconds above the dunes of Kitty Hawk, North
Carolina. The age of flight had begun, and in the
decades that followed, advancements in aviation would
enable determined American risk-takers to cross oceans,
break the sound barrier, and walk on the Moon.

Today, our Nation follows the Wright brothers' example
of innovation as we continue to explore the frontiers
of air and space. My Administration has outlined a
vision for space exploration that includes a return to
the Moon and a long-term human and robotic program to
explore Mars and the solar system. By working to expand
the realm of the possible, we can gain a better
understanding of the universe and continue the journey
that the Wright brothers began more than a century ago.

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, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the
United States of America, do hereby proclaim December
17, 2006, as Wright Brothers Day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
fifteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord two
thousand six, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.