Thor Heyerdahl's 100 Birthday Marked By A Google Doodle...

[sandyRoe]

When he set sail on his epic voyages he knew there was land on the other side of the oceans. The ancient voyagers, whose journeys he was replicating didn't. I wonder what percentage of those ended in a watery grave?

[janbee]

Yes I noticed it was his birthday. Darn ! I forgot to send him a card.

[sunny-dave]

I remember reading Kon Tiki - a thrilling book of adventure which inspired me to build a raft on the local pond.

It sank :+()

[jno]

the Polynesians were the greatest navigators ever, far better than the Vikings (who were seldom more than a day or two out of sight of land). They went in three great waves over about 1000 years, as I recall: one from somewhere round Taiwan to somewhere in the mid-Pacific, then on again to Hawaii, then back south-west to New Zealand. En route they almost certainly did get to South America, becasue they brought back sweet potatoes. They would have followed the stars, the currents and the winds; they might have spotted an island several days off because of birds flying above it.

I've flown over the Pacific and it's vast. Even at 500mph or so, you can go for hours with absolutely nowhere showing up on the in-flight maps. The idea of sailing on it in outriggers, and not knowing what you might find, is awe-inspiring.

[mikey4444]

We read Kon Tiki in school, in the 60's and I remember being very excited by it...a real adventure. Nothing adventurous ever happened to me so books were very important !

[mikey4444]

Not quite the adventures I was looking for at age 10 DB !