Who proposed the theory of continental drift?

The theory of continental drift was proposed by Alfred Wegener, a German polar researcher, geophysicist, and meteorologist, in the early 20th century. Wegener's work established the notion that continents are not static; instead, they float on the underlying molten layer of the Earth's mantle and drift apart over geological time. He presented evidence from various fields, including geology, paleontology, and climatology, to support his theory. For instance, he noted the similar shapes of coastlines, such as the match between the east coast of South America and the west coast of Africa, and shared fossils found on different continents, which indicated that these landmasses were once joined.

The other figures mentioned, like Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Charles Darwin, made significant contributions to their respective fields— Newton in physics, Einstein in the theory of relativity, and Darwin in the theory of evolution—but they did not address the concept of continental drift. Wegener's theory laid the groundwork for the later development of the theory of plate tectonics, which is widely accepted today and explains the movement of the Earth’s lithospheric plates.