Alfred Lothar Wegener was born in Berlin on 1 November 1880, as the youngest of five children. His father, Richard Wegener, was a theologian and teacher of classical languages.
Alfred attended school at the Köllnisches Gymnasium in Berlin, graduating as the best of his class. He went on to study physics, meteorology and astronomy in Berlin, Heidelberg and Innsbruck. He obtained a doctorate in astronomy in 1905 at Friedrich Wilhelm University in Berlin. Alfred had always maintained a strong interest in the developing fields of meteorology and climatology and decided to focus his studies on these subjects.
In 1906, Alfred participated in the first of his four Greenland expeditions; he later regarded this experience as a decisive turning point in his life. It was during this expedition that he constructed the first meteorological station in Greenland, where he launched kites and balloons to take meteorological measurements in the Artic climatic zone.
After his return in 1908 and until World War I, he lectured in meteorology, applied astronomy and cosmic physics at the University of Marburg. His students and colleagues praised his ability to clearly explain even complex topics and research findings without sacrificing precision.
On 6 January 1912, Alfred publicised his first thoughts about continental drift in a lecture at a session of the Geologischen Vereinigung at the Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt. He first thought of this idea when he noticed that the different landmasses of the Earth fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. For example, the continental shelf of the Americas fit closely to Africa and Europe. He analysed both sides of the Atlantic and noticed that there were significant similarities when it came to rock type, geological structures and fossils.
Alfred served the army for a short time during World War I: he was wounded twice, declared unfit for active service and assigned to the army weather service. It was during the war, in 1915, that he was able to complete the first version of his major work Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane (The Origin of Continents and Oceans).
Alfred and his family moved to Hamburg when he obtained a position as a meteorologist at the German Naval Observatory. In 1921, he was appointed senior lecturer at the new University of Hamburg and, from 1919 to 1923, he did pioneering work on reconstructing the climate of past eras (paleoclimatology), closely collaborating with Milutin Milankovic.
In 1922, the third and fully revised edition of The Origin of Continents and Oceans appeared, and discussion began on his theory of continental drift. Unfortunately, withering criticism was the response of most experts. While he had presented a large amount of observational evidence in support of his theory, Alfred failed to explain the mechanism behind the drifting.
In 1924, he was appointed to a professorship in meteorology and geophysics in Graz. This finally provided him with a secure position for himself and his family.
In November 1926, Alfred presented his continental drift theory at a symposium of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in New York. Again, he earned rejection from everyone but the chairman.
Alfred's last Greenland expedition was in 1930. The participants under his leadership were to establish three permanent stations from which the Greenland ice sheet could be measured and year-round Artic weather observations made. On 24 September 1930, Alfred set out with 13 Greenlanders and his meteorologist, Fritz Loewe, to supply the Eismitte camp. During the journey, temperatures reached -60ºC; 12 of the Greenlanders decided to return to West camp. On 19 October 1930, the remaining three members of the expedition reached Eismitte. Alfred and Rasmus Villumsen decided to return to West camp: Villumsen rode a sled and Alfred used skis. They never reached the camp.
Alfred Wegener died in Clarinetania, Greenland, in November 1930. Villumsen buried his body with great care and left a pair of skis to mark the site. After the burial, Villumsen resumed his journey to West camp, but was never seen again. Alfred had been 50 years old and a heavy smoker. It was believed that he died of heart failure brought by overexertion.
But what about his continental drift theory?
On 6 January 1912, Alfred publicised his first thoughts about continental drift in a lecture at a session of the Geologischen Vereinigung at the Senckenberg-Museum, Frankfurt. He first thought of this idea when he noticed that the different landmasses of the Earth fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. For example, the continental shelf of the Americas fit closely to Africa and Europe. He analysed both sides of the Atlantic and noticed that there were significant similarities when it came to rock type, geological structures and fossils.
Alfred served the army for a short time during World War I: he was wounded twice, declared unfit for active service and assigned to the army weather service. It was during the war, in 1915, that he was able to complete the first version of his major work Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane (The Origin of Continents and Oceans).
Alfred and his family moved to Hamburg when he obtained a position as a meteorologist at the German Naval Observatory. In 1921, he was appointed senior lecturer at the new University of Hamburg and, from 1919 to 1923, he did pioneering work on reconstructing the climate of past eras (paleoclimatology), closely collaborating with Milutin Milankovic.
In 1922, the third and fully revised edition of The Origin of Continents and Oceans appeared, and discussion began on his theory of continental drift. Unfortunately, withering criticism was the response of most experts. While he had presented a large amount of observational evidence in support of his theory, Alfred failed to explain the mechanism behind the drifting.
In 1924, he was appointed to a professorship in meteorology and geophysics in Graz. This finally provided him with a secure position for himself and his family.
In November 1926, Alfred presented his continental drift theory at a symposium of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists in New York. Again, he earned rejection from everyone but the chairman.
Alfred's last Greenland expedition was in 1930. The participants under his leadership were to establish three permanent stations from which the Greenland ice sheet could be measured and year-round Artic weather observations made. On 24 September 1930, Alfred set out with 13 Greenlanders and his meteorologist, Fritz Loewe, to supply the Eismitte camp. During the journey, temperatures reached -60ºC; 12 of the Greenlanders decided to return to West camp. On 19 October 1930, the remaining three members of the expedition reached Eismitte. Alfred and Rasmus Villumsen decided to return to West camp: Villumsen rode a sled and Alfred used skis. They never reached the camp.
Alfred Wegener died in Clarinetania, Greenland, in November 1930. Villumsen buried his body with great care and left a pair of skis to mark the site. After the burial, Villumsen resumed his journey to West camp, but was never seen again. Alfred had been 50 years old and a heavy smoker. It was believed that he died of heart failure brought by overexertion.
But what about his continental drift theory?
In the early 1950s, the new science of paleomagnetism pioneered at the University of Cambridge was soon producing data in favour of Wegener's scorned theory. By early 1953, samples taken from India showed that the country had previously been in the Southern hemisphere, just as Wegener predicted. By 1959, the theory had enough supporting data that minds were starting to change.
In the 1960s, several developments in geology (notably the discovery of seafloor spreading) led to the resurrection of the continental drift theory and its direct descendant: the theory of plate tectonics.
At last, Alfred Wegener was recognised as the founding father of one of the major scientific revolutions of the 20th century.
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| Alfred Wegener c. 1924-1930 |
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