Thor Heyerdahl
Explorer / Anthropologist
In 1947 Thor Heyerdahl and five crew members sailed the Kon-Tiki, a balsa wood raft, from South America to Polynesia, to prove his theory that pre-Columbian intercultural global contact was possible. During 1969-70 he sailed two papyrus rafts, Ra I and Ra II, across the Atlantic, to show that ancient Egyptians could have had contact with South America. Although his theories often earned him the scorn of academics, Heyerdahl had a profound influence on anthropology and archaeology.Extra credit: The film of his Kon-Tiki expedition earned an Oscar in 1951 for Best Documentary Feature.
Other intrepid explorers on Who2 include Edmund Hillary, Neil Armstrong and Ernest Shackleton.
Four Good Links
Thor Heyerdahl Dies
The BBC's obituary from April 2002
Thor Heyerdahl
Sleek pages describing his work
Heyerdahl Expeditions
Review of his work, with a list of related links
Thor Heyerdahl and His Crews
This actually sums up all his adventures, not just Kon-Tiki
Vital Stats
Birth
Birthplace
Death
18 April 2002
(cancer, age 87)
Best Known As
Leader of the Kon-Tiki and Ra Expeditions
