With these dramatic clouds, the shardlike pinnacles of the Aiguille du Midi (Needle of Midday) resemble the spires of a ruined Alpine cathedral. This is just one of the many spectacular peaks of the Mont Blanc massif, the storied Alps range in eastern France that stretches across the border into Italy and Switzerland. It was here in France"s Chamonix valley that mountaineering became a sport in the mid-1700s. This dramatic peak was first summited in 1818, a feat that helped to popularize mountain climbing throughout Europe.
Atop the Needle of Chamonix
Today in History
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Composite of photographs from the Apollo 15 mission
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A goldie gala
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Mid-Autumn Festival
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La Rocque Harbour, Island of Jersey
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Siblings Day
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1.1 billion opportunities for a better world
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Dressed for winter fun
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Mountain mists over Bavaria
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Siblings Day
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Let’s talk fossils
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Signs of life in the Empty Quarter
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World Wildlife Conservation Day
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Spring equinox
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Prayer flags in Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
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World Bee Day
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Where do those colors come from?
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Travel Sunday: Liverpool
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Take a break! It s Labor Day!
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Boxing Day—a shopper’s delight
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Dog days of summer
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Sami lavvu structures, Finnmark, Norway
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A Flag Day tradition
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Monarch butterflies, Pismo Beach, California
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Dog days of summer
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Kings of the Kalahari