Throughout the country, mayors, governors, communities and public service organizations participate in PSRW by issuing proclamations; hosting award ceremonies and special tribute events; and delivering messages about the value of public service.
In Washington, D.C., feature events include a public town hall meeting with Cabinet secretaries and a congressional breakfast to announce the finalists of the 2012 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medals.
Public servants deserve our thanks throughout the year and we invite you to continue honoring them for the work they do each and every day.
The following list of little-known facts about contributions of public employees serves to highlight the importance of our contributions as public employees.
Did You Know … ?
- The first person to set foot on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was a public employee.
- The “Do Not Call” list was created and implemented by a team of government employees.
- Most children in America are educated by public school teachers.
- The National Institutes of Health began as a one-room laboratory working to prevent the spread of cholera, yellow fever, and other epidemics.
- Defense Department researchers developed the networking system that lead to the creation of the Internet.
- Government employees advanced both radar and sonar.
- More than two million public employees protect our nation through service in our armed forces.
- In their search to unlock the mysteries of the universe, NASA scientists discovered the first Black Hole.
- Since 1960, nearly 200,000 people have served as Peace Corps volunteers in 139 countries.
- A career government scientist created the instrument landing systems used by all commercial and military aircrafts.
- Half of all U.S.medical doctors in practice today received training by government employees working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
- A scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration created a deep-ocean tsunami detection system.
- Government employees developed instrument landing systems used by all commercial and military aircraft, as well as the basic design of most aircrafts.
- The CAT scan, which helps physicians diagnose cancer brain disorders and other diseases, was invented by a public servant.
- A lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice coordinated the largest Clean Air Act enforcement actions ever, which will result in the reduction of harmful air pollutants by nearly 2 million tons each year.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture employee pioneered the bar code scanner that automatically computes the cost of your purchases at the store.
- NASA space technology launched tens of thousands of products, including cordless construction tools, heat cradles for premature infants, smoke detectors, low-cost waste water treatment, radiology, and an underwater device used to locate the “black box” from airplane crashes.
- The Department of Defense developed GPS technology.
- There are fewer than half as many United States post offices today than there were in 1900 due to the improvement of service and high-speed travel.
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