The enormously popular Indiana Jones movies - Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Temple of Doom, and The Last Crusade - have earned hundreds of millions of dollars since their release in the 1980s. But 60 years before Harrison Ford starred in this fantastic adventure trilogy, the real Indiana Jones was making spectacular dinosaur discoveries in the far reaches of China, suffering through blistering sandstorms, fending off deadly vipers, and fighting roving bandits.

Early in his life, Roy Chapman Andrews knew exactly what he wanted to do. "I was born to be an explorer," he wrote in his biography. "I couldn't do anything else and be happy." Just before graduating from college in 1906, Roy attended an on-campus presentation by New York City's American Museum of Natural History. The presentation inspired him so much that he decided to seek work at that very museum. Finding a job there was not easy, however, and the hiring staff informed him that no positions were available. Instead of simply accepting the rejection, Roy told the director he'd do almost anything for a chance to work at the museum. Impressed with his determination, the director offered him a job. In the summer of 1906, Roy was mopping floors and doing special projects in the taxidermy department for $40 a month.

Photos courtesy American Museum of Natural History

It wasn't long before Roy worked his way up to helping with museum exhibits and expeditions. One of his first major assignments involved recovering the remains of a huge whale from the beaches of Long Island, New York. Soon, Roy was traveling to Alaska, Japan, Korea and China on whale expeditions.

During his trips to China, including a stint as a spy for the U.S. Navy during World War I, Roy became captivated by Asia. He began dreaming about a major expedition to Mongolia, where some scientists had speculated that humans first evolved. (It wasn't until many years later that the oldest human bones were actually discovered in Africa.) Roy spent more than a year planning a series of daring expeditions. In 1920, he presented his idea to the director, who agreed to support him. But Roy would have to raise the required $250,000, an amount equivalent to $210 million today. Many fellow explorers thought Roy's plan was crazy. The Gobi Desert was two-thirds the size of Texas, and automobiles were still a new invention. How could he possibly think he could find important fossils in Mongolia when little had ever been discovered there? But Roy was undeterred. Within a year, his thorough plan and engaging personality had worked to his advantage; he had raised the entire sum of money from wealthy sponsors, including J.P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller.

On March 21, 1922, an expedition of 75 camels set out from Peking, China (now called Beijing), on the first 500-mile leg of the journey toward Mongolia.

Adapted from "Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs"

The caravan set out a month before Roy and his team started. While much slower, camels were proven in the desert and could carry a whole summer's worth of supplies. Remarkably, the camels and the cars arrived at their pre-determined meeting place at almost exactly the same time on the same day. Roy's planning was already paying off.

Books Dinosaurs at the Ends of the Earth: The Story of the Central Asiatic Expeditions, Brian Floca. DK Publishing, 1st edition (March 1, 2000). Dragon Bones and Dinosaur Eggs: A Photobiography of Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, Ann Bausum. National Geographic Society, 2000. Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions, Charles Gallenkamp. Penguin Books, Ltd., 2001. Under a Lucky Star, Roy Chapman Andrews. The Viking Press, 1946.

This expedition, which turned out to be the first of five through China's Gobi Desert, produced an enormous quantity of dinosaur bones, including the first velociraptor skeleton ever discovered. The desert's sand and low humidity provided a perfect climate for preserving fossils. Over the years, Roy's team explored thousands of miles of uncharted desert and made phenomenal discoveries, from a mastodon skeleton to dinosaur eggs. In fact, Roy's discovery of the eggs settled a long-standing dispute among scientists: Dinosaurs were hatched, not born live. Roy, with his wide-brimmed hat and six-shooter strapped to his hip, narrowly escaped death at least 10 times. One perilous night, Roy and his team killed 47 vipers that were creeping into their tents! Vipers, sandstorms, wild dogs and armed bandits, along with many other dangers, made great raw material for the adventure films that came later.

The expeditions through China and Mongolia came to an end in 1930, when civil war made further exploration too dangerous. Authorities closed off the area to Western explorers, who were not allowed to return for six decades. In 1941 Roy retired from the museum to give lectures and write books.

Roy is remembered not only for his courage, bold vision and countless discoveries, but also for his unique approach to field research. His diverse team of experts, thoroughly planned expeditions and well-equipped supply caravans set the model for modern exploration. Today, explorers from the Museum of Natural History are once again working with local experts in Mongolia. Even compared to other legendary explorers of land, sea or space, Roy Chapman Andrews was one of the all time greats...the real Indiana Jones.

Remarkable Changes During Roy's Lifetime When he was born (1884) Grover Cleveland had been elected president. It was a dozen years before the radio and 34 years before TV had been invented. It was almost two decades before the Wright Brothers flew at Kitty Hawk, NC. Electric lights were a novelty. Most houses in the U.S. did not have indoor toilets. It was 20 years before the Ford Model T. It was 36 years before American women could vote. When he died (1960) John F. Kennedy was about to be elected president. The first satellites were circling the Earth. TV was common in every home. Trans-Atlantic telephone calls were common. Most Americans had at least one car; Jeeps were common. Transcontinental jet service cut travel time by days. Source: Dragon Hunter: Roy Chapman Andrews and the Central Asiatic Expeditions, by Charles Gallenkamp