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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International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend
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Design for Each and All
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Flag Day
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Nazaré Lighthouse
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International Archaeology Day
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Ready for takeoff
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Happy Welsh New Year!
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The call of the wild in Alaska
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Laguna de Torrevieja, Spain
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Vila Franca Islet, São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
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Swinging into International Jazz Day
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International Day for Monuments and Sites
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India Republic Day
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A festival of colors
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Who s hiding in the kelp?
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International Day of Human Space Flight
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State funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
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Te Rewa Rewa Bridge near New Plymouth, New Zealand
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It s leap day!
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Sands of time