50 Years Ago Archaeology 50 years ago, explorer Thor Heyerdahl’s Atlantic crossing hit a snag Excerpt from the May 16, 1970 issue of Science News 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 Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By Bruce Bower May 15, 2020 at 8:00 am Once again for Ra, Science