Can we use THAT in the beginning of a sentence?

[fabxx]

[Whether the ancient Egyptians actually sailed or did not] to South America remains uncertain, but Heyerdahl's Ra II expedition demonstrated that they could have done so.

a) Whether the ancient Egyptians actually sailed or did not
b) Whether in actuality the ancient Egyptians sailed or did not
c) The actuality of the sailing by the ancient Egyptains
d) That the ancient Egyptains actually sailed
e) The ancient Egyptians, their actual sailing

I eliminated B, C, E. I think A is the best answer compared to D. But the correct answer is D. Why? Can you use THAT in the beginning of a sentence? Thanks in advance"

 

[bibliolept]

All but one are supposedly incorrect or at least sound peculiar, right?

If so, D is the best answer. Consider this example: "That the ancient Egyptians actually sailed to America was not proven by Heyerdahl. He only proved that Egyptian craft could have conceivably reached South America."