Thor Heyerdahl
1914–2002 · Norwegian (Larvik) · Modern Era
Known for: Sailed a balsa wood raft across the Pacific to prove ancient peoples could have crossed oceans—the Kon-Tiki expedition
Heyerdahl was a zoologist turned experimental archaeologist who built the Kon-Tiki raft from balsa logs and sailed 4,300 miles from Peru to the Tuamotu Islands in 101 days, proving ancient South Americans could have reached Polynesia.
He later sailed reed boats across the Atlantic to demonstrate possible Egyptian-American contact. His diffusionist theories were rejected by most archaeologists, but his expeditions proved that pre-modern peoples had the capability to cross oceans. The Kon-Tiki film won an Academy Award.
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