Historic Achievement: Gerard van Velde Breaks World Record at 2002 Olympics

Among the notable events that have taken place on February 16th through history, the remarkable achievement of Dutch speed skater Gerard van Velde stands out. In the 2002 Olympic Games, he set a new world record, etching his name into the annals of sports history. This day also remembers other significant moments, such as the death of French President Felix Francois Faure in 1899, the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Germany in 1936, and a strategic Allied bombing in 1944 that targeted the Japanese naval base at Truk in the Caroline Islands, resulting in the destruction of 201 planes. Furthermore, in 1960, a milestone in naval exploration was marked as the U.S. nuclear submarine Triton embarked on its unprecedented underwater circumnavigation of the globe.