How long did the Kon-Tiki voyage take?

101 days
After 101 days at sea the Kon-Tiki ran aground on a coral reef by the Raroia atoll in Polynesia. The expedition had been an unconditional success, and Thor Heyerdahl and his crew had demonstrated that South American peoples could in fact have journeyed to the islands of the South Pacific by balsa raft.

How did Thor Heyerdahl cross the Pacific?

Heyerdahl believed that people from South America could have reached Polynesia during pre-Columbian times. Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6,900 km (4,300 miles) across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotus on August 7, 1947.

How long did it take the crew to make it to the Pacific Ocean?

On November 15, 1805, Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Volunteers for Northwestern Discovery reach the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of the Columbia River, one year, six months, and one day after leaving St.

Is Thor Heyerdahl still alive?

Deceased (1914–2002)
Thor Heyerdahl/Living or Deceased

Who first inhabited Polynesia?

The first settlers of the far-flung Pacific islands of Tonga and Vanuatu likely arrived from Taiwan and the northern Philippines between 2,300 and 3,100 years ago, a new genetic analysis suggests.

Was Thor Heyerdahl correct?

Fifty years ago, Thor Heyerdahl and the Kon-Tiki expedition appeared to prove that ancient humans could have sailed west from South American to colonise the Pacific islands. But DNA evidence now shows that his theory was wrong.

How old is Thor Heyerdahl?

87 years (1914–2002)
Thor Heyerdahl/Age at death
Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian anthropologist and adventurer who won acclaim navigating the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans to advance his controversial theories of ancient seafaring migrations, died yesterday. Mr. Heyerdahl, who was 87, died of cancer in Italy, where he had been vacationing, the family said.

How long did it take Magellan to cross the Pacific?

Magellan named the ocean the Pacific (meaning ‘peaceful’) because it was calm and pleasant when he entered it. By now one of his ships had deserted, but the other four started the journey across their new-found sea. To everyone’s amazement, the crossing was to take three months and 20 days.

Who crossed Pacific Ocean first?

navigator Ferdinand Magellan
In 1521, a Spanish expedition led by the Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan was the first recorded crossing of the Pacific Ocean, Magellan then naming it the “peaceful sea.” Starting in 1565 with the voyage of Andres de Urdaneta, the Spanish controlled transpacific trade for 250 years; Manila galleons would cross …

What does the name Polynesia mean?

Polynesia. Greek for “many islands.”

Did Heyerdahl stay married?

After the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, he served with the Free Norwegian Forces from 1944, in the far north province of Finnmark. In 1949, Heyerdahl married Yvonne Dedekam-Simonsen (1924–2006). They had three daughters: Annette, Marian and Helene Elisabeth. They were divorced in 1969.

When did Thor Heyerdahl cross the Pacific Ocean?

In 1947, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl crossed the Pacific Ocean on Kon Tiki, a rudimentary raft made of balsa wood. We took a trip to see the legendary vessel

How long did it take Thor Heyerdahl to sail the raft?

Heyerdahl and five companions sailed the raft for 101 days over 6,900 km (4,300 miles) across the Pacific Ocean before smashing into a reef at Raroia in the Tuamotus on August 7, 1947. The crew made successful landfall and all returned safely. Thor Heyerdahl’s book about his experience became a bestseller.

Where did Thor Heyerdahl go on his Kon Tiki expedition?

Taken from: The Kon-Tiki Expedition By raft across the South Seas by Thor Heyerdahl. He built the Kon-Tiki Balsa raft in Peru. He left Callao on the 28 th April 1947 and sailed it for 6,900 Km across the Pacific to Tuamotu Islands arriving on the 7 th August 1947.

Where did Heyerdahl sail his second papyrus boat?

Heyerdahl sails papyrus boat. Undaunted, Heyerdahl constructed a second papyrus craft, the Ra II, with the aid of Aymaro Indian boatbuilders from Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. With a multinational crew of seven, the Ra II set sale from Safi on May 17, 1970. After a voyage of 57 days and 4,000 miles, the ship arrived in Barbados.