Who proposed the hypothesis of continental drift?

Alfred Wegener is credited with proposing the hypothesis of continental drift in the early 20th century. This hypothesis suggests that the continents were once joined together as a single landmass, known as Pangaea, and have since drifted apart to their current locations. Wegener's theory was based on various geological and fossil evidence, such as the similar rock formations and fossil plants and animals found on continents that are now widely separated by oceans.

His ideas were initially met with skepticism because he could not provide a convincing explanation for the mechanism behind the movement of continents. However, the concept of continental drift laid the groundwork for the later development of the theory of plate tectonics, which explains how the Earth's lithosphere is divided into tectonic plates that move and interact.

The contributions of Marie Curie were in the field of radioactivity, Isaac Newton is famous for his laws of motion and universal gravitation, and Charles Darwin is known for his theory of evolution through natural selection. These figures were influential in their own right but did not propose the continental drift hypothesis.