by the same prehistoric people. The peaks, however, were mostly ignored except for a few notable examples, and long left to the exclusive attention of the people of the adjoining valleys. The mountain peaks were seen as terrifying, the abode of dragons and demons, to the point that people blindfolded themselves to cross the Alpine passes. The glaciers remained a mystery and many still believed the highest areas to be inhabited by dragons. Charles VII of France ordered his chamberlain to climb Mont Aiguille in 1356. The knight reached the summit of Rocciamelone where he left a bronze triptych of three crosses, a feat which he conducted with the use of ladders to traverse the ice. In 1492, Antoine de Ville climbed Mont Aiguille, without reaching the summit, an experience he described as "horrifying and terrifying." Leonardo da Vinci was fascinated by variations of light in the higher altitudes, and climbed a mountain—scholars are uncertain which one; some believe it may have been Monte Rosa. From his description of a "blue like that of a gentian" sky it is thought that he reached a significantly high altitude. In the 18th century four Chamonix men almost made the summit of Mont Blanc but were overcome by altitude sickness and snowblindness. Conrad Gessner was the first naturalist to ascend the mountains in the 16th century, to study them, writing that in the mountains he found the "theatre of the Lord". By the 19th century more naturalists began to arrive to explore, study and conquer the high peaks. Two men who first explored the regions of ice and snow were Horace-Bénédict de Saussure (1740–1799) in the Pennine Alps, and the Benedictine monk of Disentis Placidus a Spescha (1752–1833). Born in Geneva, Saussure was enamoured with the mountains from an early age; he left a law career to become a naturalist and spent many years trekking through the Bernese Oberland, the Savoy, the Piedmont and Valais, studying the glaciers and geology, as he became an early proponent of the theory of rock upheaval. Saussure, in 1787, was a member of the third ascent of Mont Blanc—today the summits of all the peaks have been climbed. The Romantics and Alpinists Albrecht von Haller's poem Die Alpen (1732) described the mountains as an area of mythical purity. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was another writer who presented the Alps as a place of allure and beauty, in his novel
{
        'QUESTION: Who was the first person to climb Mont Aiguille?': 'Answer: Antoine de Ville',
        'QUESTION: What did Leonardo da Vinci do on his mountain climbing expedition?': 'Answer: He studied the variations of light in the higher altitudes.',
        'QUESTION: Which two explorers were among the first to explore the regions of ice and snow?': 'Answer: Horace-Bénédict de Saussure and the Benedictine monk of Disentis, Placidus a Spescha.',
        'QUESTION: When did Horace-Bénédict de Saussure leave his law career to pursue a career in naturalism?': 'Answer: There isn\'t enough information in the text to determine when Horace-Bénédict de Saussure left his law career to pursue a career in naturalism.',
        'QUESTION: How did the people of the past view mountain peaks?': 'Answer: People of the past viewed mountain peaks as terrifying, the abode of dragons and demons.',
        'QUESTION: Why did Charles VII of France order his chamberlain to climb Mont Aiguille?': 'Answer: Charles VII of France ordered his chamberlain to climb Mont Aiguille because he wanted someone to explore and possibly conquer the peak.',
        'QUESTION: What happened to the four Chamonix men attempting to reach the summit of Mont Blanc?': 'Answer: The four Chamonix men attempting to reach the summit of Mont Blanc were overcome by altitude sickness and snowblindness.',
        'QUESTION: Who was the first naturalist to ascend the mountains?': 'Answer: Conrad Gessner was the first naturalist to ascend the mountains.',
        'QUESTION: What did Albrecht von Haller describe the mountains as in his poem Die Alpen?': 'Answer: Albrecht von Haller described the mountains as an area of mythical purity in his poem Die Alpen.',
        'QUESTION: What did Jean-Jacques Rousseau present the Alps as in his novel?': 'Answer: Jean-Jacques Rousseau presented the Alps as a place of allure and beauty in his novel.'
    }