Did you know the president of the United States issues a proclamation declaring October 9 as Leif Erikson Day each year, and has done so since Lyndon Johnson did in 1964?
Proclamation 3610
LEIF ERIKSON DAY, 1964
By the President of the United States of America
A ProclamationWHEREAS Leif Erikson, Norseman, son of Erik the Red and great seafarer, in the year 1000 valiantly explored the shores of the American Continent; and
WHEREAS the intrepid exploits of the Vikings of Erikson’s time strike a responsive chord in the hearts of all the American people, who as a nation are today embarked upon an adventurous exploration of the unfathomed realms of space; and
WHEREAS many of our citizens of Scandinavian descent take inspiration from a n d annually celebrate Leif Erikson’s momentous voyage; and
WHEREAS the Congress of the United States by a joint resolution approved September 2, 1964, has authorized the President of the United States to proclaim October 9 in each year as Leif Erikson Day:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Friday, October 9, 1964, as Leif Erikson Day and direct Government officials to display the flag on all Government buildings on that day. Further, I invite the people of the United States to honor on that day the memory of Leif Erikson by holding appropriate exercises and ceremonies in schools and churches, or other suitable places.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.
DONE at the City of Washington this second day of September in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-ninth.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON
A Proclamation on Leif Erikson Day, 2026
Some 50 years ago, numerous Scandinavian American organizations across the country participated in the successful campaign for national recognition of Leif Erikson Day by the Leif Erikson Association (of Los Angeles). More than 240 Scandinavian organizations around the United States and thousands of petition signatures were involved in this important achievement.
