U.S. Department of Commerce : Commerce’s Most Popular 13 Blog Posts of 2013

As we look forward to the new year, we wanted to take a moment to reflect back on Commerce's most popular blog posts from last year. Take a look at our list of the 13 blog posts that received the most unique views in 2013: 

1.       United States Department of Commerce Plan for Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations: Post the first day of the federal government shutdown, which listed the services and activities the department would maintain during the lapse in FY14 appropriations. 

2.       Penny Pritzker Sworn in as 38th U.S. Secretary of Commerce: Post on the swearing in of U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, including a video of Vice President Joe Biden swearing her in and the secretary's speech at the ceremony. 

3.       USPTO Honors Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees: Post on 17 of America's greatest innovators, who the USPTO inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame during a ceremony at their headquarters. 

4.       Secretary Pritzker Outlines Bold Policy Agenda Focused on U.S. Trade and Investment, Innovation, and Data: Post on Secretary Pritzker's unveiling of the Commerce Department's "Open for Business Agenda," including a video of the secretary's remarks at the agenda unveiling. 

5.       Doing Business in Africa Forum Presents Opportunities for American Businesses in Sub-Saharan Region: Guest post from Under Secretary for International Trade Francisco Sánchez and MBDA National Director David Hinson on a Doing Business in Africa Forum at the White House. 

6.       NOAA Provides Easy Access to Historical Hurricane Tracks: Post on NOAA's Historical Hurricane Tracks website, which provides more than 150 years of Atlantic hurricane tracking data and global hurricane data from as far back as 1842, among other data. 

7.       Building on the Strength of U.S.-Brazil Economic Relationship: Post on then-Deputy Secretary Rebecca Blank's co-chairing of the U.S.-Brazil CEO Forum and participation in other events in the region aimed at strengthening the economic and commercial ties between the two nations. 

8.       Panama Canal Expansion Offers Opportunity for U.S. Companies to Serve as Partners with Panama: Post on then-Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank's meeting on the Panama Canal Expansion Project, which was part of efforts to strengthen U.S.-Panama ties by promoting greater cooperation between the two countries on infrastructure development. 

9.       Deputy Secretary of Commerce Blank Announces Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Request: Post on the release of the Commerce Department's 2014 budget request, designed to help grow the economy, create jobs and strengthen the middle class. The department requested $8.6 billion and identified $195 million in administrative savings. 

10.   Businesses Need Common Sense Immigration Reform to Keep Growing, Creating American Jobs: Guest post from then-Deputy Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank on a meeting with business executives, which focused on key issues facing the businesses as they continue to grow, create jobs and drive innovation and competitiveness in the U.S. 

11.   The Department of Commerce's Role in Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity: Post on President Obama's executive order to strengthen the cybersecurity of our nation's critical infrastructure. Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology was tasked with leading the creation of a Cybersecurity Framework, one of the main outcomes listed in the executive order. 

12.   Secretary Pritzker Participates in Let's Read! Let's Move! Initiative: Post on Secretary Pritzker's participation in an event for the Let's Read! Let's Move! initiative, which engages children in summer reading and physical activity. During the event, which is part of First Lady Michelle Obama'sLet's Move! Campaign, Secretary Pritzker read a story to children from the Washington, DC, area. 

13.   NOAA's Latest Mobile App Provides Free Nautical Charts for Recreational Boating: Post on NOAA's MyNOAACharts, a new mobile application that allows users to download NOAA nautical charts and other resources.