Hiram Bingham (1875-1956) earned his undergraduate degree at Yale University in 1898 before going on to the University of California at Berkley for advanced studies in Latin American history. He accepted a teaching position back at his alma mater in New Haven in 1907. Bingham was soon recognized as one of the pioneers in the fledgling field of Latin American history for both his research and his teaching abilities.
He organized the 1911 Yale Peruvian Expedition with the primary objective of locating the lost capital of the Incan Empire. Using local guides, he rediscovered and identified the ancient cities of Vitcos, Vilcabamba and Machu Picchu. He led three more expeditions to Machu Picchu with financial support from Yale University and the National Geographic Society in 1912, 1914 and 1915.
After serving in World War I as a flight instructor for American pilots in France, Bingham returned to Connecticut and a few years later was elected the Lieutenant Governor of the state in 1922. He later served as U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1925 through 1933.
In 1948 he published a book entitled Lost City of the Incas recounting his expeditions to Peru and his rediscovery of the ancient city of Machu Picchu. The book became a best seller and the basis for the movie Secret of the Incas starring Charlton Heston. This film in turn was the inspiration for the Indiana Jones character in a series of adventure films during the 1980’s.
To view photos chronicling the career of Hiram Bingham as an explorer, military officer and statesman go to the Otis library’s Flickr site.