author
Alfred Wegener
1880–1930
Best known for proposing continental drift, this German scientist imagined a moving Earth long before plate tectonics became accepted science. He was also a meteorologist and polar researcher whose life ended during an expedition in Greenland.
1 Audiobook
Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane
by Alfred Wegener
About the author
Born in Berlin on November 1, 1880, Alfred Wegener studied astronomy but built his career across meteorology, geophysics, and polar research. His interests ranged widely, and that breadth helped shape the bold ideas that later made him famous.
In 1912, he proposed that the continents were not fixed in place but had slowly drifted over time. He gathered clues from the matching shapes of coastlines, fossils, rocks, and ancient climates, and later set out the case in his book The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Many scientists rejected the idea during his lifetime, but decades later it became a foundation for modern plate tectonics.
Wegener also took part in several Greenland expeditions and became well known for his work in meteorology and Arctic exploration. In 1930, during an expedition on the Greenland ice sheet, he died at the age of 50, leaving behind a scientific legacy that grew even stronger after his death.