Daily Survival Guide

Today in Survival History
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The Kon Tiki expedition, headed by Norwegian explorer and intellectual Thor Heyerdahl, departed from Callao, Peru, on this day in 1947. The six-man crew headed west toward the Polynesian islands, successfully proving that it was possible for prehistoric explorers from what is now South America to have populated the islands.

The prevailing opinion was that Polynesian inhabitants were descendants of explorers from the Far East. The voyage, which utilized the balsa crafts that South American natives would have used, was a success; they landed on the island of Raroia after 101 days.