Final answer:
Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, developed the Theory of Continental Drift in 1915, suggesting that the continents were once part of a supercontinent called Pangaea and have since drifted apart. Despite his evidence, the lack of a mechanism led to skepticism until the 1960s when it was integrated into the theory of plate tectonics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alfred Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift
The Theory of Continental Drift was developed by a German meteorologist and astronomer named Alfred Wegener. In 1915, Wegener proposed that all the continents were once a part of a supercontinent called Pangaea, suggesting that the continents slowly drifted apart to their current locations. His theory was based on several pieces of evidence: the jigsaw-like fit of continents, matching fossils across oceans, similar mountain ranges in separate continents, and paleoclimate evidence indicating past proximity to the polar regions or equator.
Despite the compelling evidence provided by Wegener, his theory was initially met with skepticism due to the lack of a plausible mechanism explaining how continents could move. It wasn't until the 1960s, through the work of scientists like Harry Hess and others, contributing research on sea floor spreading, that Wegener's idea of continental drift was incorporated into the broader and now widely accepted theory of plate tectonics.