Thor Heyerdahl Biography

Thor Heyerdahl, Explorer
Occup.Explorer
FromNorway
SpouseLiv Coucheron-Torp
BornOctober 6, 1914
Larvik, Norway
DiedApril 18, 2002
Colla Micheri, Italy
CauseHeart failure
Aged87 years
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian adventurer, ethnologist, as well as author that was born in Larvik, Norway, on October 6, 1914, and also passed away in Colla Micheri, Italy, on April 18, 2002. He is best known for his daring ocean expeditions, which he took on to prove his theories regarding the migration patterns of old civilizations. Utilizing primitive vessels, Heyerdahl set out to show that primitive individuals could have passed through large ocean distances, therefore establishing contact and also spreading their societies.

In 1936, Heyerdahl and also his first partner, Liv Coucheron-Torp, relocated to the Marquesas Islands to examine the native flora as well as animals. This experience triggered Heyerdahl to hypothesize that Polynesians originated from South America rather than Asia, as was generally thought. To show this theory, he and a little crew sailed a balsa wood raft from Peru to the Polynesian islands in 1947. The boating, named Kon-Tiki, was integrated in a traditional pre-Inca style, and the trip took 101 days, covering around 4,300 miles. Heyerdahl detailed the exploration in the successful publication "The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Boating Across the South Seas" (1948) as well as a documentary, which won an Academy Award in 1951.

Heyerdahl's following expedition took place in 1969, with the goal of establishing that Egyptians might have gone across the Atlantic Sea and also reached Central America before Columbus. He constructed a papyrus reed watercraft called Ra, based on old Egyptian layouts. The Ra exploration was not successful because of the watercraft's building, yet Heyerdahl attempted again in 1970 with the Ra II, constructed by the Aymara individuals of Bolivia. This moment, the journey from North Africa to Barbados achieved success, taking 57 days and covering around 3,700 miles. He later recorded the experiences in "The Ra Expeditions" (1971).

Heyerdahl's 3rd major exploration was the Tigris journey in 1977-78. He intended to show that the ancient Sumerians could have traveled and also patronized the Indus Valley world in Pakistan. Making use of a reed watercraft similar to those illustrated on ancient Mesopotamian artwork, the Tigris expedition efficiently navigated from Iraq to Pakistan, after that to the Red Sea and also the Horn of Africa. However, due to political agitation in the area, Heyerdahl was required to shed the Tigris in Djibouti to oppose war.

Along with his sea explorations, Heyerdahl also conducted considerable archaeological research. Notably, he excavated the mystical Pyramids of Güímar on the Canary Islands, sustaining his concept of old global contact. Through his work, Heyerdahl accentuated the potential for very early human oceanic traveling as well as recognized beneficial links amongst old human beings.

Throughout his life, Thor Heyerdahl received many honors and was commonly recognized for his success. Regardless of criticisms and obstacles, he remained to push the borders of understanding as well as inspire generations with his spirit of interest and exploration. He died at the age of 87, leaving behind an enduring tradition of research as well as adventure.

Our collection contains 22 quotes who is written / told by Thor.
Thor Heyerdahl Famous Works:
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22 Famous quotes by Thor Heyerdahl

Small: Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people
"Borders? I have never seen one. But I have heard they exist in the minds of some people"
Small: Progress is mans ability to complicate simplicity
"Progress is man's ability to complicate simplicity"
Small: One learns more from listening than speaking.And both the wind and the people who continue to live clos
"One learns more from listening than speaking.And both the wind and the people who continue to live close to nature still have much to tell us which we cannot hear within university walls"
Small: It is also rarer to find happiness in a man surrounded by the miracles of technology than among people
"It is also rarer to find happiness in a man surrounded by the miracles of technology than among people living in the desert of the jungle and who by the standards set by our society would be considered destitute and out of touch"
Small: In my experience, it is rarer to find a really happy person in a circle of millionaires than among vaga
"In my experience, it is rarer to find a really happy person in a circle of millionaires than among vagabonds"
Small: I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesnt occur from taking orders, but rather fr
"I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea"
Small: I have never been able to grasp the meaning of time. I dont believe it exists. Ive felt this again and
"I have never been able to grasp the meaning of time. I don't believe it exists. I've felt this again and again, when alone and out in nature. On such occasions, time does not exist. Nor does the future exist"
Small: I dont believe in war as a solution to any kind of conflict, nor do I believe in heroism on the battlef
"I don't believe in war as a solution to any kind of conflict, nor do I believe in heroism on the battlefield because I have never seen any"
Small: I also believe that when one dies, one may wake up to the reality that proves that time does not exist
"I also believe that when one dies, one may wake up to the reality that proves that time does not exist"
Small: For every minute, the future is becoming the past
"For every minute, the future is becoming the past"
Small: Civilization grew in the beginning from the minute that we had communication - particularly communicati
"Civilization grew in the beginning from the minute that we had communication - particularly communication by sea that enabled people to get inspiration and ideas from each other and to exchange basic raw materials"
Small: Circumstances cause us to act the way we do. We should always bear this in mind before judging the acti
"Circumstances cause us to act the way we do. We should always bear this in mind before judging the actions of others. I realized this from the start during World War II"
Small: But if we begin thinking about the world being over 100 million years old, then its absolutely by chanc
"But if we begin thinking about the world being over 100 million years old, then it's absolutely by chance that you and I are sitting here alive today, while all the others are dead or have never been born"
Small: A civilized nation can have no enemies, and one cannot draw a line across a map, a line that doesnt eve
"A civilized nation can have no enemies, and one cannot draw a line across a map, a line that doesn't even exist in nature and say that the ugly enemy lives on the one side, and good friends live on the other"
Small: We must wake up to the insane reality of our time. We are all irresponsible, unless we demand from the
"We must wake up to the insane reality of our time. We are all irresponsible, unless we demand from the responsible decision makers that modern armaments must no longer be made available to people whose former battle axes and swords our ancestors condemned"
Small: We have always been taught that navigation is the result of civilization, but modern archeology has dem
"We have always been taught that navigation is the result of civilization, but modern archeology has demonstrated very clearly that this is not so"
Small: Those who have experienced the most, have suffered so much that they have ceased to hate. Hate is more
"Those who have experienced the most, have suffered so much that they have ceased to hate. Hate is more for those with a slightly guilty conscience, and who by chewing on old hate in times of peace wish to demonstrate how great they were during the war"
Small: Therefore, I feel convinced that any political picture can be changed to suit the needs of the powers t
"Therefore, I feel convinced that any political picture can be changed to suit the needs of the powers that be"
Small: Surrounded by military airplanes and warships from the worlds most civilized and developed nations, we
"Surrounded by military airplanes and warships from the world's most civilized and developed nations, we have been denied permission by friendly governments, for reasons of security, to land anywhere, but in the tiny, and still neutral, Republic of Djibouti"
Small: In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish
"In fighting nature, man can win every battle except the last. If he should win that too, he will perish, like an embryo cutting its own umbilical cord"
Small: One learns more from listening than speaking. And both the wind and the people who continue to live clo
"One learns more from listening than speaking. And both the wind and the people who continue to live close to nature still have much to tell us which we cannot hear within university walls"
Small: Today we are fighting Communism. Okay. If Id been alive fifty years ago, the brand of Conservatism we h
"Today we are fighting Communism. Okay. If I'd been alive fifty years ago, the brand of Conservatism we have today would have been damn near called Communism and we should have been told to go and fight that. History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts"