With the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones series set to release this Thursday, there has been much hype and anticipation surrounding the movie. Will it be good? Will it be bad? Well I don’t know, you’ll have to watch it and let me know. However, recently I heard that Indiana Jones could have been inspired by an actual person in history. Furthermore, his name was Hiram Bingham III. So I did a little research and found out that Hiram Bingham was the guy that discovered the Peruvian “Lost City” Machu Picchu.

Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911 after the city had been entirely forgotten about for years. He authored a best-selling book, the Lost City of the Incas in 1948, chronicling his adventure. After his return to the United States, he attained the rank of Captain in the Connecticut National Guard. He eventually became an aviator and organized the United States Schools of Military Aeronautics, as well as commanded an aviator school in France. When he wasn’t exploring lost cities and flying planes, he was a professor at Harvard University and Yale University. He served as a preceptor at Princeton University under Woodrow Wilson. Bingham was heavily involved in politics and was the elected governor of Connecticut in 1924. His educational resume was most impressive as he received degrees from Harvard, Yale, and University of California (Berkeley).

While Bingham seems like the inspiration for the character Indiana Jones, both Spielberg and Lucas do not confirm that Indiana was inspired by anyone in particular. However, after learning about Hiram Bingham, I am convinced that this guy was the Indiana Jones of the early 20th century.

Image Used in this Post

Machu Picchu image courtesy of Flickr user Michael McDonough published under the CC license.

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