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EXPLORER

Thor Heyerdahl

1914 - 2002

Photo of Thor Heyerdahl

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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 sailed 8,000 km (5,000 mi) across the Pacific Ocean in a hand-built raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. The expedition was designed to demonstrate that ancient people could have made long sea voyages, creating contacts between societies. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Thor Heyerdahl has received more than 2,330,598 page views. His biography is available in 75 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 74 in 2019). Thor Heyerdahl is the 26th most popular explorer (down from 22nd in 2019), the 13th most popular biography from Norway 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

  • 2.3M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 73.16

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 75

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 9.42

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.53

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of Thor Heyerdahls by language


Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 26 out of 405. Before him are Jacques Cousteau, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Jacques Cartier, Leif Erikson, Vitus Bering, and Juan Sebastián Elcano. After him are Willem Barentsz, Henry Morton Stanley, Vasco Núñez de Balboa, John Cabot, Pytheas, and Francisco de Orellana.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1914, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 4. Before him are Louis de Funès, Yuri Andropov, and Tove Jansson. After him are Hedy Lamarr, Mohammed Zahir Shah, Tenzing Norgay, Marguerite Duras, Jiang Qing, Michael Wittmann, Aribert Heim, and Alec Guinness. Among people deceased in 2002, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 6. Before him are Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Astrid Lindgren, Simo Häyhä, and Pierre Bourdieu. After him are Hans-Georg Gadamer, John Rawls, Billy Wilder, Richard Harris, Vavá, and Prince Claus of the Netherlands.

Others Born in 1914

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Others Deceased in 2002

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In Norway

Among people born in Norway, Thor Heyerdahl ranks 13 out of 927. Before him are Knut Hamsun (1859), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (1945), Harald Fairhair (850), Rollo (846), Fridtjof Nansen (1861), and Erik the Red (950). After him are Niels Henrik Abel (1802), Olaf II of Norway (993), Olaf Tryggvason (963), Trygve Lie (1896), Queen Sonja of Norway (1937), and Eric Bloodaxe (885).

Others born in Norway

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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), Carsten Borchgrevink (1864), Hjalmar Johansen (1867), Naddodd (900), Oscar Wisting (1871), Helmer Hanssen (1870), and Ohthere of Hålogaland (900).

Norwegian born Explorers

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