The following is an encore presentation of everything everywhere daily.

In 1910, a German Earth scientist noticed something about the map of the world.

South America seemed to fit into

Africa. North America seemed to fit into Northwest Africa and Europe. He proposed that the

continents may have at one time been joined and subsequently moved.

The scientific community laughed at him and rejected his idea.

Learn more about Alfred Wegener and the Theory of Continental Drift on this episode of

Everything Everywhere Daily. Alfred Fegginer was a really interesting guy.

Born in 1880 in Germany, got its degree in astronomy, but became a meteorologist, which was still a rather new field at the time.

His primary interest was in the northern polar regions and how air circulated.

He participated in four expeditions to Greenland and was one of the first meteorologists to adopt the use of weather balloons.

However, meteorology and expeditions to Greenland aren't what Elford Wegenerer is best known for.

It's for his contributions to geology. aren't what Alfred Wegener is best known for.

It's for his contributions to geology and geophysics.

The idea that he is remembered for

began innocently enough on Christmas Day 1910.

He was at his friend's house when he began looking at his

brand new World Atlas. He made the observation that South America and Africa seemed like they

fit together like pieces in a puzzle. I should note that he was far from the first person to notice this.

Once decent maps began being published in the last part of the 16th century,

people first observed the same thing. The first person we know of who made the observation was Dutch cartographer

Abraham Orteius.

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