EXPLORER

Thor Heyerdahl

1914 - 2002

Photo of Thor Heyerdahl

Icon of person Thor Heyerdahl

Thor Heyerdahl KStJ (Norwegian pronunciation: [tuːr ˈhæ̀ɪəɖɑːɫ]; 6 October 1914 – 18 April 2002) was a Norwegian adventurer and ethnographer with a background in biology with specialization in zoology, botany and geography. Heyerdahl is notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition in 1947, in which he drifted 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a primitive hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was supposed to demonstrate that the legendary sun-worshiping red-haired, bearded, and white-skinned "Tiki people" from South America drifted and colonized Polynesia first, before actual Polynesian peoples. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Thor Heyerdahl has received more than 2,466,385 page views. His biography is available in 76 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 75 in 2019). Thor Heyerdahl is the 27th most popular explorer (down from 26th in 2019), the 15th most popular biography from Norway (down from 13th in 2019) and the 4th most popular Norwegian Explorer.

Thor Heyerdahl is most famous for his Kon-Tiki expedition. He was a Norwegian explorer who wanted to prove that people from South America could have traveled to Polynesia on balsa wood rafts.

Memorability Metrics

  • 2.5M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 71.63

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 76

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 8.54

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.84

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 27 out of 498. Before him are David Livingstone, Jacques Cousteau, Erik the Red, Vitus Bering, Leif Erikson, and Willem Barentsz. After him are Vasco Núñez de Balboa, Martin Behaim, Jan van Riebeeck, Pytheas, John Cabot, and Giovanni da Pian del Carpine.

Most Popular Explorers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 5. Before him are Louis de Funès, Yuri Andropov, Hedy Lamarr, and Tove Jansson. After him are Tenzing Norgay, Marguerite Duras, Jiang Qing, Michael Wittmann, Octavio Paz, Julio Cortázar, and Alec Guinness. Among people deceased in 2002, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 7. Before him are Astrid Lindgren, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Pierre Bourdieu, Simo Häyhä, and Hans-Georg Gadamer. After him are John Rawls, Billy Wilder, Richard Harris, Vavá, Ruth Handler, and László Kubala.

Others Born in 1914

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2002

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In Norway

Among people born in Norway, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 15 out of 1,039. Before him are Niels Henrik Abel (1802), Fridtjof Nansen (1861), Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832), Harald Fairhair (850), Erik the Red (950), and Queen Sonja of Norway (1937). After him are Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939), Jon Fosse (1959), Rollo (846), Olaf II of Denmark (1370), Trygve Lie (1896), and Olaf II of Norway (993).

Others born in Norway

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among EXPLORERS In Norway

Among explorers born in Norway, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 4. Before him are Roald Amundsen (1872), Fridtjof Nansen (1861), and Erik the Red (950). After him are Ingólfr Arnarson (850), Otto Sverdrup (1854), Naddodd (900), Thekla Resvoll (1871), Carsten Borchgrevink (1864), Ohthere of Hålogaland (900), Carl Anton Larsen (1860), and Hjalmar Johansen (1867).

Norwegian born Explorers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous