Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian adventurer and explorer. He was born in Larvik, Norway, in 1914. He sailed across the Pacific Ocean on a wooden raft to prove that ancient people could have done the same. His Kon-Tiki expedition became world famous.

Early Life

Heyerdahl loved nature and adventure from childhood. He studied biology and geography at university. He lived on a Pacific island and noticed similarities between the people there and ancient South Americans. He believed South Americans could have sailed to the Pacific islands.

Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft at a museum in Norway.
Thor Heyerdahl's Kon-Tiki raft at a museum in Norway. (Bahnfrend / Wikimedia Commons)

Big Achievements

In 1947, Heyerdahl built a raft from balsa wood and sailed from Peru to Polynesia. The trip took 101 days and covered about 4,300 miles. He wrote a book about it that sold millions of copies. He later sailed across the Atlantic on a reed boat called Ra II.

Fun Facts

  • Heyerdahl could not swim when he set out on the Kon-Tiki voyage.
  • A whale shark visited the raft during the voyage.
  • His book about the Kon-Tiki expedition has been translated into 70 languages.

Did You Know?

Heyerdahl's raft was named Kon-Tiki after an ancient South American sun god. The Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway, still has the original raft on display.