Master Yoghurt
Apr 19th, 2002, 12:13:42 PM
Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer who crossed the Pacific on a balsa-log raft, and detailed his harrowing 101-day voyage in the book "Kon-Tiki," died of cancer Thursday night at an age of 87. :(
BBC: news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english...938294.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1938000/1938294.stm)
CNN: www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/N...index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/04/18/obit.heyerdahl.ap/index.html)
Reuters: reuters.com/news_article....yID=842049 (http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=EJ5IFZR4PXOIUCRBAEZS FEYKEEATIIWD?type=worldnews&StoryID=842049)
To me and most other Norwegians, he was a national hero and a legend. The book about the Kon-Tiki expedition is translated to 66 languages and 60 million copies sold. The 1951 documentary won him an Oscar. His many sensationsal, often life risking expeditions and against the establishment science inspired millions of people around the world. Among his many adventures included the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition; sailing a balsawood raft 6000 km (4900 miles) from Peru to Polynesia proving that ancient cultures could have sailed to, and populated, the South Pacific. Scientists and experts thought the raft would get water logged and sink within a few days. 101 days later, he would have proven them all wrong. The ancient construction techniques would carry the raft across the pacific. Later expeditions included voyages aboard reed rafts, Ra, Ra II and Tigris.
In 1955 and 1956, Thor Heyerdahl conducted the first co-ordinated archeological excavations of Easter Island, where he discovered that the famous moai stone heads were in fact giant statues: www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditio...huette.jpg (http://www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/Paskesilhuette.jpg)
Later studies would lead to the discovery of the largest complex of pyramids in South America at Tacume in Peru and on the island of Teneriffe off Africa. Ancient step pyramids possibly indicating yet another maritime link between ancient civilizations.
His many expeditions and theories often caused controversy, some critics trying to discredits his studies, as these studies challenged widely accepted views. To his defense, he would say, "Scientists do not build rafts, scientists quote other scientists!"
Heyerdahl was a committed internationalist, always travelling with a multinational crew and the flag of the United Nations. On the 1978 Tigris expedition, his raft was prevented from entering the Red Sea due to local conflicts. In protest against war, he burned his raft.
Thor Heyerdahl's was an enviromentalist, always interested in studying the state of the oceans and the global enviroment. He would frequently voice his concerns due to the increasing amount of pollution he himself had experienced on his many journeys; ".. we seem to believe the ocean is endless, but we use it like a sewer", he said.
You can read more about the expeditions of this remarkable man at the Kon-Tiki Website:
www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/ (http://www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/)
BBC: news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english...938294.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_1938000/1938294.stm)
CNN: www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/N...index.html (http://www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/04/18/obit.heyerdahl.ap/index.html)
Reuters: reuters.com/news_article....yID=842049 (http://reuters.com/news_article.jhtml;jsessionid=EJ5IFZR4PXOIUCRBAEZS FEYKEEATIIWD?type=worldnews&StoryID=842049)
To me and most other Norwegians, he was a national hero and a legend. The book about the Kon-Tiki expedition is translated to 66 languages and 60 million copies sold. The 1951 documentary won him an Oscar. His many sensationsal, often life risking expeditions and against the establishment science inspired millions of people around the world. Among his many adventures included the 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition; sailing a balsawood raft 6000 km (4900 miles) from Peru to Polynesia proving that ancient cultures could have sailed to, and populated, the South Pacific. Scientists and experts thought the raft would get water logged and sink within a few days. 101 days later, he would have proven them all wrong. The ancient construction techniques would carry the raft across the pacific. Later expeditions included voyages aboard reed rafts, Ra, Ra II and Tigris.
In 1955 and 1956, Thor Heyerdahl conducted the first co-ordinated archeological excavations of Easter Island, where he discovered that the famous moai stone heads were in fact giant statues: www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditio...huette.jpg (http://www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/Paskesilhuette.jpg)
Later studies would lead to the discovery of the largest complex of pyramids in South America at Tacume in Peru and on the island of Teneriffe off Africa. Ancient step pyramids possibly indicating yet another maritime link between ancient civilizations.
His many expeditions and theories often caused controversy, some critics trying to discredits his studies, as these studies challenged widely accepted views. To his defense, he would say, "Scientists do not build rafts, scientists quote other scientists!"
Heyerdahl was a committed internationalist, always travelling with a multinational crew and the flag of the United Nations. On the 1978 Tigris expedition, his raft was prevented from entering the Red Sea due to local conflicts. In protest against war, he burned his raft.
Thor Heyerdahl's was an enviromentalist, always interested in studying the state of the oceans and the global enviroment. He would frequently voice his concerns due to the increasing amount of pollution he himself had experienced on his many journeys; ".. we seem to believe the ocean is endless, but we use it like a sewer", he said.
You can read more about the expeditions of this remarkable man at the Kon-Tiki Website:
www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/ (http://www.kon-tiki.no/Expeditions/)