Although the rock and fossil evidence he reported should have been more than enough to convince skeptics that his theory was largely correct, Wegener tried to explain why continents move – and got this wrong! "Die Herausbildung der Grossformen der Erdrinde (Kontinente und Ozeane), auf geophysikalischer Grundlage" (in German). November 1 was Wegener’s fiftieth birthday. Author of this page: The Doc En 1906 los hermanos Wegener batieron el récord de estar el mayor tiempo suspendidos en un globo, al estar 52 horas y media[2], además en este año hizo su primera expedición a Groenlandia, con el objetivo de estudiar la circulación del aire en las zonas polares. Alfred Wegener (1880-1930) during a scientific expedition in Greenland, in 1912. Su contribución bélica duró poco tiempo, debido a que fue herido en combate. During his life, Wegener made several key contributions to meteorology: he pioneered the use of balloons to track air circulation, and wrote a textbook that became standard throughout Germany. Although now qualified to become a professional astronomer, he was worried that he might not discover anything new or interesting in astronomy. Alfred was an intelligent boy. The speculation that continents might have 'drifted' was first put forward by Abraham Ortelius in 1596. In 1910, he published his first book: Thermodynamics of the Atmosphere. En 1905, Wegener trabajó como asistente en el Observatorio de Aeronáutica en Lindenberg Beeskow. There, working with his older brother Kurt, he carried out pioneering work using weather balloons to study air movements. Wegener was the first to use the phrase "continental drift" (1912, 1915) (in German "die Verschiebung der Kontinente" – translated into English in 1922) and formally publish the hypothesis that the continents had somehow "drifted" apart. He believed he could make a greater contribution in meteorology – the study of weather and climate. He also had the first inkling of the idea that would bring him both anguish and long-lasting fame: continental drift. After further research, in 1911 Wegener learned that fossils of several species were present in both Brazil and western Africa. Después de su regreso en 1908 y hasta el estallido de la Primera Guerra Mundial fue Wegener profesor de meteorología, astronomía y física cósmica práctica en Marburgo. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Wegener died while on an expedition to Greenland in the first week of November 1930. Continental Drift Lyrics: In the year of 1910 there was a scientist / Whose name was Alfred Wegener / He noticed that the continents looked just like / Pieces of a broken puzzle / By 1915 he called it In 1920, 1922 and 1929, Wegener published updated editions of The Origin of Continents and Oceans, adding more evidence each time for his idea that the continents move around the planet at very slow speeds. : Color change allows harm-free health check of living cells, : Shunned after he discovered that continents move, : The dog whisperer who rewrote our immune system’s rules, : In the 1600s found that space is a vacuum, : Aquatic ape theory: our species evolved in water, : Became the world’s most famous codebreaker, : We live at the bottom of a tremendously heavy sea of air, : The first mathematical model of the universe, : Revolutionized drug design with the Beta-blocker, : Discovered our planet’s solid inner core, : Shattered a fundamental belief of physicists, : Unveiled the spectacular microscopic world, : The cult of numbers and the need for proof, : Discovered 8 new chemical elements by thinking, : Record breaking inventor of over 40 vaccines, : Won – uniquely – both the chemistry & physics Nobel Prizes, : Founded the bizarre science of quantum mechanics, : Proved Earth’s climate is regulated by its orbit, : The giant of chemistry who was executed, : The greatest of female mathematicians, she unlocked a secret of the universe, : Pioneer of brain surgery; mapped the brain’s functions, : Major discoveries in chimpanzee behavior, : 6th century anticipation of Galileo and Newton, : Youthful curiosity brought the color purple to all, : Atomic theory BC and a universe of diverse inhabited worlds, : Discovered how our bodies make millions of different antibodies, : Discovered that stars are almost entirely hydrogen and helium. 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