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
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Independence Day of the Bahamas
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Bear cubs roughhouse on Siblings Day
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New Year s Day
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A river runs through rice fields
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Nazar amulets, Goreme National Park, Cappadocia, Turkey
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A triumph of light
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Fall comes to the Last Frontier
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Jazzed for Mardi Gras
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Haaga Rhododendron Park
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50 years of Earth Day
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Lei Day
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Grandparents Day
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Digging the birds
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Row, row, row your gondola
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A tribute to the ancestors
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Celebrating Flag Day: ‘O long may it wave’
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Notes from an underground lake
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Feature Attraction: 85 years at the drive-in
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Happy anniversary to the National Park Service!
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Take a hike near Lovers Lane
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The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
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Till the cows come home
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Big Bend National Park turns 78
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One for the books
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Cappadocia, Türkiye
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Mediterranean red sea stars
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Welcome to El Cervantino
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Huntington Beach Pier, California, at sunset
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Old Rock Day
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Monet still makes an impression