Title 36, Patriotic and National ObservancesRelease 119-110

§143 Wright Brothers Day

Title 36 › Subtitle I — Patriotic and National Observances and Ceremonies › Part A — Observances and Ceremonies › CHAPTER 1 — PATRIOTIC AND NATIONAL OBSERVANCES › § 143

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

December 17 is Wright Brothers Day, honoring their first powered flights on that date in 1903; the President is asked to invite yearly observances.

Full Legal Text

Title 36, §143

Patriotic and National Observances, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Designation.—

December 17 is Wright Brothers Day.

(b)Purpose.—

Wright Brothers Day commemorates the first successful flights in a heavier than air, mechanically propelled airplane, that were made by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

(c)Proclamation.—

The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe Wright Brothers Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 143(a)36:169 (1st sentence words before 1st comma).Dec. 17, 1963, Pub. L. 88–209, 77 Stat. 402. 143(b)36:169 (1st sentence words after 1st comma). 143(c)36:169 (last sentence).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Centennial of Flight Commemoration Act Pub. L. 105–389, Nov. 13, 1998, 112 Stat. 3486, as amended by Pub. L. 106–68, § 1, Oct. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 981, known as the Centennial of Flight Commemoration Act, established the Centennial of Flight Commission to carry out certain activities related to the history of aviation and the commemoration of the centennial of powered flight, required the Commission to make annual reports and a final report not later than June 30, 2004, and provided that the Commission terminate not later than 60 days after submission of the final report.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

36 U.S.C. § 143

Title 36, Patriotic and National Observances

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110