Kon-Tiki: Pacific Crossing That Challenged History

On August 7th in Science History, a significant event took place in 1947 when Thor Heyerdahl and his crew completed their daring voyage across the Pacific Ocean on the Kon-Tiki raft. This incredible journey aimed to prove Heyerdahl's theory that ancient South American civilizations could have crossed the Pacific and settled in Polynesia using only the materials and technologies available to them at the time.

Heyerdahl, a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer, was inspired by the ancient Inca legends and the similarity between the cultures of South America and Polynesia. He hypothesized that the Polynesians might have originated from South America, rather than Asia as previously believed.

To test his theory, Heyerdahl decided to construct a raft using only materials and techniques that would have been available to the ancient South Americans. The raft, named Kon-Tiki after the Inca sun god, was built using balsa wood logs, bamboo, and hemp ropes. The crew consisted of six men, including Heyerdahl himself, and they set sail from Callao, Peru, on April 28, 1947.

The journey was not without its challenges. The crew faced harsh weather conditions, including storms and shark encounters. They also had to navigate using only the stars and ocean currents, as the ancient South Americans would have done. Despite these difficulties, the Kon-Tiki raft successfully completed its 4,300-mile (6,900 km) voyage, arriving at the Raroia atoll in the Tuamotu Islands on August 7, 1947, after 101 days at sea.

The Kon-Tiki expedition garnered worldwide attention and sparked a renewed interest in ancient maritime exploration. Heyerdahl's book about the journey, "The Kon-Tiki Expedition: By Raft Across the South Seas," became an international bestseller and was later adapted into a documentary film that won an Academy Award in 1951.

While the Kon-Tiki expedition did not conclusively prove Heyerdahl's theory about the Polynesian origins, it did demonstrate that ancient civilizations could have made long-distance sea voyages using simple, yet effective, technologies. The journey also highlighted the ingenuity and resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Today, the Kon-Tiki raft is on display at the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway, serving as a testament to the courage and determination of Thor Heyerdahl and his crew. Their incredible voyage remains an inspiration to adventurers, scientists, and anyone who dares to challenge conventional wisdom and push the boundaries of human exploration.


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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to This Moment in Science History podcast on August seventh.
In science history, a significant event took place in nineteen
forty seven when four hier Doll and his crew completed
their daring voyage across the Pacific Ocean on the Kontiki Raft.
This incredible journey aimed to prove hier Doll's theory that
ancient South American civilizations could have crossed the Pacific and

(00:23):
settled in Polynesia using only the materials and technologies available
to them at the time. Hier Doll, a Norwegian explorer
and ethnographer, was inspired by the ancient Inca legends and
the similarity between the cultures of South America and Polynesia.
He hypothesized that the Polynesians might have originated from South
America rather than Asia as previously believed. To test his theory,

(00:47):
Hyerdahl decided to construct a raft using only materials and
techniques that would have been available to the ancient South Americans.
The raft, named Kontiki after the Inca sun god, was
built using balsa wood, logs, bamboo, and hemp ropes. The
crew consisted of six men, including hier Dol himself, and
they set sail from Callao, Peru, on April twenty eighth,

(01:10):
nineteen forty seven. The journey was not without its challenges.
The crew faced harsh weather conditions, including storms and shark encounters.
They also had to navigate using only the stars and
ocean currents, as the ancient South Americans would have done.
Despite these difficulties, the Kantiki raft successfully completed its four thousand,
three hundred mile six thousand, nine hundred kilometers voyage, arriving

(01:34):
at the Raroweya, a toll in the Tuamotu Islands on
August seventh, nineteen forty seven, after one hundred and one
days at sea. The Kantiki Expedition garnered worldwide attention and
sparked a renewed interest in ancient maritime exploration. Hire Doll's
book about the journey, The Kantiki Expedition by Raft across
the South Seas, the becan international bestseller and was later

(01:57):
adapted into a documentary film that won in a Academy
Award in nineteen fifty one. While the Kantiki Expedition did
not conclusively prove Hyer Dol's theory about the Polynesian origins,
it did demonstrate that ancient civilizations could have made long
distant sea voyages using simple yet effective technologies. The journey
also highlighted the ingenuity and resilience of the human spirit

(02:20):
in the face of adversity. Today, the Kontiki raft is
on display at the Kontiki Museum in Oslo, Norway, serving
as a testament to the courage and determination of Thorherdahl
and his crew. Their incredible voyage remains an inspiration to adventurers, scientists,
and anyone who dares to challenge conventional wisdom and push

(02:41):
the boundaries of human exploration. And that wraps it up
for another episode. Please subscribe and join us tomorrow for
another great moment in science. This has been a Quiet
Please Studio's production. For more check out Quiet Please dot Ai.
Thank you for listening.