Post by Caliph on Apr 6, 2015 20:35:19 GMT
Was Columbus really the first explorer to discover the Americas? The great Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl didn't think so. He believed that ancient people were able to build boats that could cross oceans.
To test his Ideas, Heyerdahl decided to build a copy of the reed boats pictured in ancient Egyptian paintings and sail across the Atlantic from North Africa to Barbados. Heyerdahl' s team also copied ancient Middle Eastern pots and filled them with enough food for their Journey—dried fish, honey, oil, some eggs and nuts, and a little fresh fruit. Ra, the expedition's boat, carried an international group including a Norwegian, an Egyptian, an Italian, a Mexican, and a Chadian.
On May 25, 1969, Ra left Safi in Morocco and headed across the widest part of the Atlantic. Ra fell apart just before it reached Barbados, but everyone survived and wanted to try again.
On May 17, 1970, Ra II, sailing under the flag of the United Nations, successfully crossed the Atlantic in 57 days. The expedition proved that ancient civilizations had enough skill to reach the Americas long before Columbus did.
To test his Ideas, Heyerdahl decided to build a copy of the reed boats pictured in ancient Egyptian paintings and sail across the Atlantic from North Africa to Barbados. Heyerdahl' s team also copied ancient Middle Eastern pots and filled them with enough food for their Journey—dried fish, honey, oil, some eggs and nuts, and a little fresh fruit. Ra, the expedition's boat, carried an international group including a Norwegian, an Egyptian, an Italian, a Mexican, and a Chadian.
On May 25, 1969, Ra left Safi in Morocco and headed across the widest part of the Atlantic. Ra fell apart just before it reached Barbados, but everyone survived and wanted to try again.
On May 17, 1970, Ra II, sailing under the flag of the United Nations, successfully crossed the Atlantic in 57 days. The expedition proved that ancient civilizations had enough skill to reach the Americas long before Columbus did.
Happy Nowrooz
