50 years ago, explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s Atlantic crossing hit a snag
Excerpt from the May 16, 1970 issue of Science News
![a photo of a papyrus boat](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/032320_bb_50ya-ra_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
An Atlantic crossing in a papyrus boat failed 50 years ago, but led to a successful attempt in this vessel, the Ra II. Although ancient Egyptians didn’t navigate to the Americas as project leader Thor Heyerdahl suspected, his work heralded later evidence on long-distance sea trade.
Peter Ptschelinzew/Alamy Stock Photo