17.05.1970: Thor Heyerdahl Starts Crossing the Atlantic with the "Ra II"

With a papyrus raft across the Atlantic - with this adventurous journey Thor Heyerdahl proves that boats suitable for high seas were already built in ancient times.

In the second half of the 1960s, the famous Norwegian scientist Thor Heyerdahl discovered on Easter Island in the Pacific Ocean images of reed boats with masts and sails. This drawing inspired the enthusiastic experimenter to the theory that prehistoric civilizations from across the Atlantic Ocean maintained contact with Polynesia, thanks to reed boats. And, as was his custom, he decided to prove his hypothesis with a practical experiment.