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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Golden larches and Prusik Peak, the Enchantments, Washington
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Winnie-the-Pooh Day
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A medieval Moorish gem
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April Fools Day
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Under Parisian skies
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Autumnal equinox
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Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea
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Once upon a time there was a bridge…
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It’s surströmming time
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A gorge-ous mill in the Causses
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Splashes of color for Watercolor Month
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A Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park, India
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Regional Park of Migliarino, San Rossore, Massaciuccoli, Italy
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Life carries on, rising from a ship s skeleton
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Muniellos Nature Reserve
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Seventeen arches at sunset
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Crimson-rumped toucanet in the Refugio Paz de Las Aves, Ecuador
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Cool water in the Quinault
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Celebrating 30 years of eye-opening images
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Borovets ski resort in Bulgaria
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Happy Father s Day
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Keep calm and drive on (slowly)
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Honoring the rangers on World Ranger Day
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Haven t you herd? It s World Elephant Day!
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New Zealand s loneliest mountain
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Storks ready for takeoff
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Tesla, the visionary
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Baltic Sea, Estonia
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It s Tolkien Reading Day
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International Cheetah Day