"...Wegener replied, Why should we hesitate to toss the old views overboard?"

From Smithsonian, Alfred Wegener and the theory of Continental Drift:



We like to imagine that knowledge advances fact upon dispassionate fact to reveal precise and irrefutable truths. But there is hardly a better example of just how messy and emotional science can be than Wegener's discovery of the vast, turbulent forces moving within the earth's crust. As often happens when confronted with difficult new ideas, the establishment joined ranks and tore holes in his theories, mocked his evidence and maligned his character. It might have been the end of a lesser man, but as with the vicious battles over topics ranging from Darwinian evolution to climate change, the conflict ultimately worked to the benefit of scientific truth.

Wegener's story is horribly forgotten but shouldn't be. He's a amazing man (he came up with the idea of the "supercontinent" and gave it the name Pangea) and a true scientific hero. (If you're interested in a book about him, I reviewed Ending in Ice for Booklist several years ago and can recommend that one!) (But be aware, Wegener is yet another tragic polar story - although his death seems quite fitting almost in light of his lifelong research.)

[Post pic via UC Berkeley, title from Smithsonian Mag.]