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Orville Wright

Dec 17th is Wright Brothers Day

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A proclamation from President Biden:

On Wright Brothers Day, we celebrate the ingenuity and perseverance of Orville and Wilbur Wright, whose aircraft expanded the limits of human discovery and lifted this Nation to new heights.

From their home in Dayton, Ohio, the Wright Brothers were captivated — “afflicted,” in Wilbur’s words — by the belief that humans could fly.  They researched and experimented, redesigned and repaired, and braved dangerous early trials.  When their Wright Flyer finally took to the skies over Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, they launched the future of aviation and helped define the American spirit:  bold, daring, innovative, and always asking what is next.

That same spirit has delivered ground-breaking discoveries in American air and space technology for almost 120 years.  America has broken the sound barrier, put a man on the moon, collaborated to create the International Space Station, and achieved powered flight on Mars.  Just last year, we launched the most powerful deep-space telescope ever sent into space and gained a new window into the history of our universe.

We are also carrying on the Wright Brothers’ legacy by always striving for better safety and comfort in air travel.  Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is investing $25 billion to renovate airport terminals; upgrade air traffic control facilities; and improve runways, taxiways, and other vital infrastructure that make flying easier and more secure.  We have pushed airlines to rebook travelers’ tickets for free when flights are significantly delayed or canceled, and to disclose fees, like for checked baggage, clearly and up front.  And we are exploring new technologies that can decrease carbon emissions coming from airplanes.

As inheritors of game-changing innovations and torch-bearers of the spirit of American ingenuity, we have so much to be proud of and so much to look forward to.  We can lead the world in the technologies of tomorrow, change the course of human health and disease, tackle the climate crisis, and continue shaping a fairer, more equitable planet.  With shared purpose, unyielding faith in our future, and a drive to make the impossible possible, there is nothing beyond our capacity.  I have never been more optimistic about our Nation’s future –- especially in our skies and in space.

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, 2022, as Wright Brothers Day.

 

Luminaries of Dayton: Leaving Pennies on a Grave

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There are many traditions that involve placing objects, specifically money, on graves. These traditions  are usually regional or customary practices and do not necessarily have religious connotations.

Large amounts of pennies which are thrown onto Benjamin Franklin’s grave by visitors each day are a symbol of good luck, and a nod to Franklin’s motto that “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

Some people hold to the tradition of leaving something of yourself when visiting a grave. If nothing else, a coin from your pocket serves as a marker of the passage and your esteem for the departed. It also signifies to any that pass by that the grave was visited and that the deceased is well loved and esteemed and has not been abandoned or forgotten. Coins are also an older form of leaving flowers, a practice prompted by the heavy Romanticism of the Victorian era.

Some believe that to leave a coin on a grave brings good luck. Students in some areas are known to leave pennies on the graves of their school’s founder in the hopes of good luck with exams.

Some are, perhaps unwittingly, mimicking the ancient tradition where gold coins were buried with the corpse in order to pay the toll charged by Charon, the boatman of the Underworld, for passage to the other side of the river Styx. It was considered sinful not to leave this toll with the dead as it would condemn them to forever wander the shores without end.

It is an old tradition to leave a penny at the grave site of a loved one as a gesture of deep love and understanding. Some coins have distinct meanings when left on the headstones of those who gave their life while serving in America’s military, and these meanings vary depending on the denomination of coin.

A coin left on a tombstone or at the grave site is meant as a message to the deceased soldier’s family that someone else has visited the grave to pay respect.

Leaving a penny at the grave means simply that you visited. A nickel indicates that you and the deceased trained at boot camp together, while a dime means you served with him in some capacity. By leaving a quarter at the grave, you are telling the family that you were with the solider when he was killed.

In the United States, this practice became common during the Vietnam War, due to the political divide in the country over the war; leaving a coin was seen as a more practical way to communicate that you had visited the grave than contacting the soldier’s family, which could devolve into an uncomfortable argument over politics relating to the war.

No matter what type of item you leave at a grave site, it is seen by others that the person is not forgotten.

At Woodland Cemetery, you will find that the grave sites of the Wright Brothers and Paul Laurence Dunbar receives the most coins. The coins are picked up periodically and are deposited to the Woodland Arboretum Foundation to care for the grounds and gardens of the cemetery.

Woodland Cemetery, founded in 1841, is one of the nation’s oldest rural garden cemeteries and a unique cultural, botanical and educational resource in the heart of Dayton, Ohio. Visit the cemetery and arboretum and take one of the many tours Woodland offers free of charge. Most of Dayton’s aviation heroes, inventors and business barons are buried at Woodland.

Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum is located at 118 Woodland Avenue off of Brown Street near the University of Dayton Campus. The Woodland Office is open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm and Saturday 8 am to 12 pm. The Cemetery and Arboretum are open daily from 8 am to 6 pm. The Mausoleum is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. For more information, call 937-228-3221 or visit the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum website.