July 24

On July 24, 1911, American archaeologist Hiram Bingham first saw Machu Picchu, the ancient Inca settlement high in the Andes near Cuzco, Peru. The site is believed to have been a summer retreat for Inca leaders, whose civilization was virtually wiped out by Spanish invaders in the 16th century. For hundreds of years afterwards, its existence was a secret known only to natives living in the region. That all changed with Bingham's search for the famous "lost" cities of the Incas.