Who is Thor Heyerdahl from Kon-Tiki: Across the Pacific by Raft and what is their importance?

Thor Heyerdahl has an idea. He suspects, from his study of zoology on a South Pacific island and subsequently hearing of the ancient legends, that a white race of people with beards and stretched earlobes first settled the South Pacific islands. He writes up a formal argument for his hypothesis and tries to present it to various museums and universities in the United States, but meets with resistance. His idea goes against the current ways of science, where every scientist specializes.