Machu Picchu discovered

July 24, 1911

On July 24, 1911, American archeologist Hiram Bingham gets his first look at Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca settlement in Peru that is now one of the world's top tourist destinations.

Tucked away in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Machu Picchu 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 the peasants living in the region. That all changed in the summer of 1911, when Bingham arrived with a small team of explorers to search for the famous "lost" cities of the Incas.

Traveling on foot and by mule, Bingham and his team made their way from Cuzco into the Urubamba Valley, where a local farmer told them of some ruins located at the top of a nearby mountain. The farmer called the mountain Machu Picchu, which meant "Old Peak" in the native Quechua language. The next day--July 24--after a tough climb to the mountain's ridge in cold and drizzly weather, Bingham met a small group of peasants who showed him the rest of the way. Led by an 11-year-old boy, Bingham got his first glimpse of the intricate network of stone terraces marking the entrance to Machu Picchu.

The excited Bingham spread the word about his discovery in a best-selling book, sending hordes of eager tourists flocking to Peru to follow in his footsteps up the Inca trail. The site itself stretches an impressive five miles, with over 3,000 stone steps linking its many different levels. Today, more than 300,000 people tramp through Machu Picchu every year, braving crowds and landslides to see the sun set over the towering stone monuments of the "Sacred City" and marvel at the mysterious splendor of one of the world's most famous man-made wonders.

http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52732
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Libros gratuitos (para bajar como PDF común)

El alumno ¡Descarga gratuita! de Henry James El alumno, o El pupilo, como también se conoce a esta magnífica novela corta, comienza cuando una familia, en otro tiempo adinerada y elegante y que poco a poco ha ido cayendo en la miseria, decide buscar preceptor para su hijo. A partir de ese momento nos veremos inmersos en los pormenores que atravesará el tutor en su relación con el alumno y sus padres.

	Amor a la vida ¡Descarga gratuita! de Jack London Esta magnífica historia, ambientada en Alaska, recurrente escenario en las obras de London, es un torbellino de temas, ideas, y mensajes, entre ellos, el sencillo alegato del triunfo de la voluntad por vivir del hombre.

La esclavitud femenina ¡Descarga gratuita! de John Stuart Mill En palabras de Emilia Pardo Bazán, éste es un «libro extraño, radical, fresco y ardoroso, que en nombre del individualismo reclama la igualdad de los sexos y que con el más exacto raciocinio y la más apretada dialéctica pulveriza los argumentos y objeciones que pudiesen oponerse a la tesis.» Se trata de uno de los primeros tratados de la historia del pensamiento que aborda la igualdad entre los sexos desde múltiples perspectivas. Traducción de Emilia Pardo Bazán.

	La flor ¡Descarga gratuita! de Rosalía de Castro Éste es el primer libro de Rosalía de Castro, publicado en 1857, a sus veinte años de edad.

Las mujercitas se casan ¡Descarga gratuita! de Louisa May Alcott Louisa May Alcott vuelve a presentar los avatares de la familia March. Han transcurrido tres años y las mujercitas se han convertido en jóvenes mujeres. La Guerra de Secesión por fin ha terminado llevando de regreso a casa al señor March junto a su querida familia. Se han producido grandes cambios en las vidas de las heroínas de Mujercitas: Meg acaricia la idea de casarse con su novio; Jo se consagra a su gran pasión, la literatura; Beth, de salud delicada, se ocupa de las tareas hogareñas; y Amy se dedica al dibujo. Además las Mujercitas despiertan el amor y proyectan un futuro con el hombre ideal con el cuál formarán su propia familia. (c) Copyright 1999-2009 - elaleph.com - Contenidos propiedad de elaleph.com

The Prince's Rainforest Project

The Prince's Rainforest Project

Daniel Craig. Actor. Optimist.

Pele. Athlete.

Takiwo. 12 years old.

Robin. Comedian. Cyclist. Frog translator.

-Lia.

-Gavin.

-Alish.

-Students.

Harrison Ford. Actor. Conservationist. And friend of frogs.

Joss Stone. Singer.

Tenzin Gyatso. Simple Buddhist monk.

Louie Johann. Schoolboy.

-William.

-Harry.

-Trying to preserve the rainforests.

-For all of us.

Climate change is the greatest threat facing mankind.

Every year, destruction of the Earth's rainforests releases more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere...

...than all of the world's cars, planes, and ships put together. We must act now. Future generations are depending on us.

Charles, Prince of Wales.

The future of the rainforest is our future too.

Add your voice at www.rainforestSOS.org.

Kermit the Frog. Amphibian. We need the rainforest. Everybody does.

The Prince's Rainforest Project

First roller coaster in America opens

June 16, 1884

On this day in 1884, the first roller coaster in America opens at Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as a switchback railway, it was the brainchild of LaMarcus Thompson, traveled approximately six miles per hour and cost a nickel to ride. The new entertainment was an instant success and by the turn of the century there were hundreds of roller coasters around the country.

Coney Island, a name believed to have come from the Dutch Konijn Eilandt, or Rabbit Island, is a tract of land along the Atlantic Ocean discovered by explorer Henry Hudson in 1609. The first hotel opened at Coney Island in 1829 and by the post-Civil War years, the area was an established resort with theaters, restaurants and a race track. Between 1897 and 1904, three amusement parks sprang up at Coney Island--Dreamland, Luna Park and Steeplechase. By the 1920s, Coney Island was reachable by subway and summer crowds of a million people a day flocked there for rides, games, sideshows, the beach and the two-and-a-half-mile boardwalk, completed in 1923.

The hot dog is said to have been invented at Coney Island in 1867 by Charles Feltman. In 1916, a nickel hot dog stand called Nathan's was opened by a former Feltman employee and went on to become a Coney Island institution and international franchise. Today, Nathan's is famous not only for its hot dogs but its hot dog-eating contest, held each Fourth of July in Coney Island. In 2006, Takeru Kobayashi set a new record when he ate 53.75 hot dogs with buns in 12 minutes.

Roller coasters and amusement parks experienced a decline during the Great Depression and World War II, when Americans had less cash to spend on entertainment. Finally, in 1955, the opening of Disneyland in Anaheim, California, signaled the advent of the modern theme park and a rebirth of the roller coaster. Disneyland's success sparked a wave of new parks and coasters. By the 1970s, parks were competing to create the most thrilling rides. In 2005, Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, introduced the Kingda Ka roller coaster, the world's tallest (at 456 feet) and fastest (at 128 mph).

By the mid-1960s, the major amusement parks at Coney Island had shut down and the area acquired a seedy image. Nevertheless, Coney Island remains a tourist attraction and home to the Cyclone, a wooden coaster that made its debut there in 1927. Capable of speeds of 60 mph and with an 85-foot drop, the Cyclone is one of the country's oldest coasters in operation today. Though a real-estate developer recently announced the building of a new $1.5 billion year-round resort at Coney Island that will include a 4,000-foot-long roller coaster, an indoor water park and a multi-level carousel, the Cyclone's owners have said they plan to keep the historic coaster open for business.

http://www.history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52616 http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/coasters/history/img/thompson_rail.jpg

CANADA and USA

01 July is Canada Day. Practise your English while you learn about Canada. Have a look at the article, word game, poem, cartoon, trivia, poll and links.

04 July is American Independence Day. Practise your English while you learn about the USA. Take a look at the article, poem, cartoon, word game, trivia and links.

TOWN OR COUNTRY?

Practise your English while you learn about town and country. Take a look at the article, cartoon, poll, word games, poems, trivia and links.

DRUGS

26 June is International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Practise your English while you learn about drugs. Have a look at the article, story, poll, word game, cartoon, trivia and links.