A chance encounter during an FN sales rep's trip to the U.S. in 1897 to learn about bicycle manufacturing. After the Belgian government's rifle contract expired, FN pivoted to develop an innovative new bicycle. Hart O. Berg was on a trip in Hartford, Connecticut, when he ran into a man shopping around a new .32 pistol to manufacturers in the area. That man was John Moses Browning, and that pistol withstood a test of 500 rounds without a single stoppage, prompting FN to offer Browning a contract on the spot. The rest is history.