Explorer

Thor Heyerdahl

1914 - 2002

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Thor Heyerdahl

His biography is available in 77 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 76 in 2024). Thor Heyerdahl is the 28th most popular explorer (down from 27th in 2024), the 21st most popular biography from Norway (down from 15th 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

Page views of Thor Heyerdahl by language

Among Explorers

Among explorers, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 28 out of 498. Before him are Erik the Red, Xuanzang, Willem Barentsz, Jacques Cousteau, Juan Sebastián Elcano, and David Livingstone. After him are Thorfinn Karlsefni, William Adams, Jan van Riebeeck, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, John Davis, and John Cabot.

Most Popular Explorers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Erik the Red
950 - 1003
HPI: 79.56
Rank: 22
Xuanzang
602 - 664
HPI: 78.93
Rank: 23
Willem Barentsz
1550 - 1597
HPI: 78.49
Rank: 24
Jacques Cousteau
1910 - 1997
HPI: 78.46
Rank: 25
Juan Sebastián Elcano
1476 - 1526
HPI: 77.91
Rank: 26
David Livingstone
1813 - 1873
HPI: 77.19
Rank: 27
Thor Heyerdahl
1914 - 2002
HPI: 77.14
Rank: 28
Thorfinn Karlsefni
1000 - 1100
HPI: 76.44
Rank: 29
William Adams
1564 - 1620
HPI: 75.97
Rank: 30
Jan van Riebeeck
1619 - 1677
HPI: 75.35
Rank: 31
Vasco Núñez de Balboa
1475 - 1519
HPI: 75.02
Rank: 32
John Davis
1550 - 1605
HPI: 74.69
Rank: 33
John Cabot
1450 - 1498
HPI: 74.69
Rank: 34

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 7. Before him are Yuri Andropov, Louis de Funès, Raymond Davis Jr., Hedy Lamarr, Tove Jansson, and Alan Hodgkin. After him are Mohammed Zahir Shah, Tyrone Power, Tenzing Norgay, Marguerite Duras, Julio Cortázar, and Octavio Paz. Among people deceased in 2002, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 8. Before him are Richard Harris, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Simo Häyhä, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Pierre Bourdieu, and Hans-Georg Gadamer. After him are Archer Martin, Billy Wilder, Prince Claus of the Netherlands, John Rawls, László Kubala, and Traudl Junge.

Others Born in 1914

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Yuri Andropov
POLITICIAN
1914 - 1984
HPI: 82.33
Rank: 1
Louis de Funès
ACTOR
1914 - 1983
HPI: 81.86
Rank: 2
Raymond Davis Jr.
CHEMIST
1914 - 2006
HPI: 80.12
Rank: 3
Hedy Lamarr
ACTOR
1914 - 2000
HPI: 79.21
Rank: 4
Tove Jansson
WRITER
1914 - 2001
HPI: 78.49
Rank: 5
Alan Hodgkin
PHYSICIAN
1914 - 1998
HPI: 78.08
Rank: 6
Thor Heyerdahl
EXPLORER
1914 - 2002
HPI: 77.14
Rank: 7
Mohammed Zahir Shah
POLITICIAN
1914 - 2007
HPI: 76.65
Rank: 8
Tyrone Power
ACTOR
1914 - 1958
HPI: 75.74
Rank: 9
Tenzing Norgay
MOUNTAINEER
1914 - 1986
HPI: 75.50
Rank: 10
Marguerite Duras
WRITER
1914 - 1996
HPI: 74.83
Rank: 11
Julio Cortázar
WRITER
1914 - 1984
HPI: 74.29
Rank: 12
Octavio Paz
WRITER
1914 - 1998
HPI: 74.17
Rank: 13

Others Deceased in 2002

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Richard Harris
ACTOR
1930 - 2002
HPI: 82.51
Rank: 2
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother
NOBLEMAN
1900 - 2002
HPI: 81.23
Rank: 3
Simo Häyhä
MILITARY PERSONNEL
1905 - 2002
HPI: 81.19
Rank: 4
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
NOBLEMAN
1930 - 2002
HPI: 78.94
Rank: 5
Pierre Bourdieu
SOCIOLOGIST
1930 - 2002
HPI: 78.90
Rank: 6
Hans-Georg Gadamer
PHILOSOPHER
1900 - 2002
HPI: 77.23
Rank: 7
Thor Heyerdahl
EXPLORER
1914 - 2002
HPI: 77.14
Rank: 8
Archer Martin
CHEMIST
1910 - 2002
HPI: 76.38
Rank: 9
Billy Wilder
FILM DIRECTOR
1906 - 2002
HPI: 75.36
Rank: 10
Prince Claus of the Netherlands
NOBLEMAN
1926 - 2002
HPI: 74.41
Rank: 11
John Rawls
PHILOSOPHER
1921 - 2002
HPI: 74.33
Rank: 12
László Kubala
SOCCER PLAYER
1927 - 2002
HPI: 73.52
Rank: 13
Traudl Junge
WRITER
1920 - 2002
HPI: 72.87
Rank: 14