Speed skaters in the Gangneung Oval, Pyeongchang, South Korea Feb 9, 2018

Speed skaters in the Gangneung Oval, Pyeongchang, South Korea

The Gangneung Oval in Pyeongchang, South Korea, is where all the speed-skating action of the 2018 Winter Games will happen. Long-track skaters wear spandex suits to help reduce friction and maybe skate just a bit faster as a result. But the short-track skaters at the games wear Kevlar suits to protect against cuts from other skaters’ blades. Those tight turns can result in collisions, so the cut-proof suits are true lifesavers.

© Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Feb 9, 2019A tale of almonds and bees
Feb 9, 2020Hollywood s big night
Feb 9, 2021What s going on in this sky?
Feb 9, 2022Ceremony Hall at Sweden s Icehotel
Feb 9, 2023Lower Antelope Canyon, Arizona
Feb 9, 2024Pegadung Rock, Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia
Feb 9, 2025Alstrom Point, Lake Powell, Utah
Feb 9, 2026Amur leopard cat, Russia

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jul 1, 2024Canada Day
Nov 11, 2025Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, Virginia
May 10, 2021An ancient sailing tradition takes to the water
Apr 13, 2025Songkran—Thai New Year
Dec 11, 2025International Mountain Day
Aug 13, 2019An ice cap-puccino
Jun 30, 2019San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
Jun 28, 2018A unique perspective from Italy’s ‘golden sands’
Oct 31, 2020Twas a night just like tonight
Apr 24, 2021A garden of prickly delights
Feb 28, 2020Looking down on the Otter
Sep 21, 2021An old celebration for a new season
Jun 8, 2023World Oceans Day
Apr 5, 2022Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland
May 11, 2019Bringing together history and technology
Feb 5, 2019Welcome to the Year of the Pig
Feb 12, 2022Darwin s Arch
May 29, 2024World Otter Day
May 18, 2020Desert rose of Qatar
Sep 4, 2020A bull, some flowers, and a stratovolcano
Feb 21, 2023New Orleans for Mardi Gras
Oct 29, 2018In search of a ‘great’ pumpkin
Jan 17, 2024Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany
Apr 5, 2021Once upon a time there was a bridge…
Dec 23, 2022Gentoo penguins in Antarctica
Jun 25, 2022Brown bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Sep 15, 2025Dallas Latino Cultural Center for Hispanic Heritage
Jan 19, 2022Kluane National Park
May 28, 2024The Monastery of Roussanou, Greece
Nov 1, 2018Celebrating the Day of the Dead