In 1947, Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl crossed 4,300 miles of the Pacific Ocean in a tiny balsa wood raft, the Kon-Tiki. His daring journey took him from Peru in South America to an island near Tahiti. He set out to prove that ancient peoples could have made the same journey.
Heyerdahl was born in Norway in 1914. As a child, he loved nature and read anthropology books. He studied zoology and geography in college and later moved to Polynesia. His experiences there convinced him that the people of Polynesia were originally from Peru.
Heyerdahl's 101-day voyage did not convince many scientists, but it captured the world's imagination. It also became the basis for a book and an Oscar-winning movie.
Heyerdahl devoted his life to the study of ancient civilizations. In 1970, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a reed boat. He died on April 18 at age 87.