Alfred Wegener was born in 1880 in Germany. He had a PHD in astronomy but began work in meteorology.
1930 : Other Scientists Reject his Idea
He noticed how the coastlines of eastern South America and western Africa seemed to fit together like jigsaw pieces. He gathered fossils and geological evidence to support his theory.
1930 : Wegener Dies on Expedition
He called it : Continental Drift Theory. He wrote and published his groundbreaking book: The Origin of Continents and Oceans
1960 : Idea Resurfaces as Plate Tectonics
Wegener thought that there was a geological force which pushed the continents away from Earth’s poles towards the equator. Geologists knew this was untrue so they dismissed the idea completely.
In mid-November, Alfred Wegener died on his fourth expedition to Greenland. He was 50 years old. His grave was marked by 2 skis.
In 1960 his theory was resurrected and became known as plate tectonics.