Thor Heyerdahl

His ideas may have been controversial, and many modern anthropologists discard his views as pure romanticism. But Thor Heyerdahl (1914-2002) had an incredible love for adventure, a love which made him a celebrated person around the world.

Explorations around the world
He explored the giant statues on Easter Island. He captained the Kon-Tiki raft across the Pacific. The movie he made from this journey won him an Oscar - the only Academy Award Norway has ever won.

He built and sailed with Ra, a ship made of reeds, from Africa to South America. When it sank before it completed the journey, he built Ra II - and the second time he got it right.

He investigated the mysteries of pyramids in South America and on the East Coast of Africa, and believed that there was strong evidence of genetic links between the two continents. He maintained that this proved that ancient peoples must have been able to travel between the continents by sea - a theory which sadly lacks proof in modern archeology.

Scientist, adventurer, explorer
But Heyerdahl's legacy is not so much his science, as his stubborn and never-ending urge to explore the unknown, something he kept doing until his death.

As a young boy I remember reading his books, wondering about how one man could possibly know and learn so much. Thor Heyerdahl was a great man, and the Earth is a lesser place after his death.

In Cosmos, Carl Sagan has a chapter named "Who speaks for the Earth", metaphorically asking whom we should choose as our ambassador in case we should ever be visited by aliens inquiring about how we take care of our planet.

Surely, Thor Heyerdahl would have been a likely candidate.

May his spirit continue to inspire all of humanity in our search for our origins, and the understanding of ourselves.

Want to learn more about Thor Heyerdahl?
Here you can find books and movies by and about Thor Heyerdahl at Amazon.com.

Image credit: FERCO Mission Home Page

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