I tip my hat to blogger and author Michael Zak, whose Grand Old Partisan website includes this bit of information I had never connected together about Yale historian and Republican Senator Hiram Bingham.

On this day in 1911, Yale University historian Hiram Bingham discovered in Peru the ruins of Machu Picchu, one of the most spectacular archaeological sites in the world. Machu Picchu turned out to be a 15th century residence of the Incan emperor. Today, tourists arrive at the site via the Hiram Bingham Highway or the Hiram Bingham train.

Bingham would go on to become a successful member of the United States Senate -- and would also be one of those who would become a model for the character Indiana Jones.

Posted by: Greg at 01:21 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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