Alfred Wegener was a
German meteorologist who, in
1912, advocated the theory of
continental drift, arguing that the
continents on either side of the
Atlantic Ocean were drifting apart. In
1915, Wegener published the theory that there had once been a giant supercontinent,
Pangaea, which drifted apart ~200 million
years ago.
Many geologists ridiculed Wegener for his ideas; noting that he couldn't explain how continents could move. Only after the mid-20th century discovery of seafloor spreading did Wegener receive credit, as a developer of the theory of plate tectonics.
See also: Gondwana, Laurasia