On this day, January the 6th, in the year of 1912, Alfred Wehnger first made public his theory of continental drift, which hypothesizes that continents move and may have once been connected to each other, in Germany. 

Wehnger came up with this theory as his studies of the world showed him that the rocks and fossils of the edge of the continents of the Atlantic Ocean were the same. Additionally, some land formations look like “jigsaw puzzle pieces” that could roughly be put together, such as South American and Africa. 

His theory at the time was met with both praise and pushback, as while the observations were true, Wehnger had no reason for why they moved.

Later studies showed that the Earth’s crust plates move in such a way where continents would move away and detach from each other, solidifying his theory of continental drift (American Physical Society) (Live Science).

To read more daily facts and tidbits, see the Barron Perspectives “On this Day Archives” webpage.