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What happened to the Kon-Tiki crew?
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.
Who went on the Kon-Tiki expedition?
Thor Heyerdahl
Thor Heyerdahl, (born October 6, 1914, Larvik, Norway—died April 18, 2002, Colla Micheri, Italy), Norwegian ethnologist and adventurer who organized and led the famous Kon-Tiki (1947) and Ra (1969–70) transoceanic scientific expeditions.
What happens to Herman while he is swimming in the ocean Kon-Tiki?
blood-spattered Herman Watzinger slowly walks atop the waterlogged Kon-Tiki raft. He loses his balance falling into the Pacific Ocean. A swarm of great white sharks encircles him. The crew of the Kon-Tiki acts swiftly.
Was Kon-Tiki a true story?
“Kon-Tiki” is based on a true story that follows the incredible story of Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl, who crossed the Pacific ocean in a balsa wood raft in 1947, together with five men, to prove that South Americans – specifically, Peruvians – back in pre-Colombian times could have crossed the sea and settled on …
Was the Kon Tiki expedition successful?
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.
What did experts predict would happen in Thor Heyerdahl’s journey?
So-called experts predicted that the balsa would quickly break under the strain; that the logs would wear through the ropes or get waterlogged and sink; that the sail and rigging would be stripped by sudden, screaming winds; that gales would swamp the raft and wash the crew overboard.
What was Kon-Tiki made of?
Kon-Tiki itself was made of nine balsa would tree trunks lashed together with hemp rope.
What was the Kon-Tiki made of?
What was the Kon-Tiki famous for?
A few hours later, radio-waves around the world are buzzing with news of the Kon-Tiki’s successful voyage. The expedition leader, Thor Heyerdahl, becomes world famous in a flash. The Kon-Tiki expedition became the most talked about adventure after World War II. The book sells over 50 million copies in 74 languages.