ALFRED WEGENER AND CONTINENTAL DRIFT
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
JANUARY 6TH
ALFRED WEGENER AND CONTINENTAL DRIFT
On this day in history, January 6th, 1912, 113 years ago today, Alfred Wegener presented his theory of continental drift to a group of his geological colleagues in Frankfurt, Germany. The theory of continental drift states that our continents are moving through the ocean. How did Alfred come up with his theory of continental drift? He noticed that the fossils of plants and animals on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean were very similar. He also noticed that the continents looked like a giant jig-saw puzzle, and that the shapes seemed to fit together. His theory was met with much doubt by his professional associates. One reason that nobody believed Alfred’s theory is because he could not explain how the continents were moving. His theory wasn’t accepted in science until decades later when scientists learned about plate tectonics. Although taught as fact in schools now, the idea of all of the continents being united, and then slowly drifting apart, was tip of the edge science in Alfred Wegener’s day. Many people thought that Alfred was just crazy. Just 113 years ago today, a man named Alfred Wegener, presented an idea that helped change our knowledge of how the world works. Although he was ridiculed for his theory, he stuck to his beliefs, and decades later Alfred Wegener was proven correct in his Continental Drift hypothesis.
Rend Petersen
