PROCLAMATION 5288—DEC. 12, 1984 that generations of Americans have made to preserve and protect liberty around the world. In this century alone, tens of thousands of Americans have laid down their lives on distant battlefields to uphold the cause of human rights. We honor and cherish them all. Today, it is with an abiding sense of gratitude and reverence that we remember the great gift of freedom that they bequeathed to us. As we give special thought to the blessings that we enjoy as a free people, let us not forget the victims of human rights abuses around the world. NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 10, 1984, as Human Rights Day and December 15, 1984, as Bill of Rights Day, and call on all Americans to observe the week beginning December 10, 1984, as Human Rights Week. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 10th day of Dec, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and ninth. RONALD REAGAN Editorial note: For the President's remarks of Dec. 10, 1984, on signing Proclamation 5287, see the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (vol. 20, p. 1891).
Proclamation 5288 of December 12, 1984
Wright Brothers Day, 1984 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation This year marks the eighty-first anniversary of human flight in a powered, winged aircraft. The dedicated efforts of Orville and Wilbur Wright made this possible. In the years that have passed since that time, the world has undergone a revolution in transportation that has brought nations closer together and helped unite the global community in ways never before possible. Though only 120 feet in length and 12 seconds in duration, the first successful flight of the Wright Brothers' aero-vehicle on December 17, 1903, was truly the "flight heard round the world." That flight—limited in immediate, practical application but infinite in conceptual progress—helped foster the Nation's spirit of innovation and dedication to technological advancement. This spirit has thrust the United States into world leadership in all facets of aviation, both civil and military. Aviation in the United States and throughout the world countinues to build on the foundation provided by the Wright Brothers. To commemorate the historic achievement of the Wright Brothers, the Congress, by joint resolution of December 17, 1963 [77 Stat. 402; 36 U.S.C. 169), has designated the seventeenth day of December of each year as Wright Brothers Day 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, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim December 17, 1984, as Wright Brothers Day,
99 STAT. 1999
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