Who is credited with proposing the hypothesis of continental drift?

Alfred Wegener is credited with proposing the hypothesis of continental drift, which suggests that continents were once joined together in a single landmass and have since drifted apart over geological time. His proposition was based on various pieces of evidence, including the fit of the continents, fossil evidence, and geological similarities across continents that are now widely separated. Wegener's ideas, introduced in the early 20th century, laid the foundational concept for the later development of plate tectonics, which explains the movement of the Earth's lithospheric plates and incorporates the mechanisms driving continental movement. This theory transformed our understanding of Earth's geological history and the dynamics of its surface.