The idea of a single landmass formed by joining modern continents was originally proposed by Alfred Wegener, a German meteorologist, and geophysicist. His theory, known as the Continental Drift Theory, was first presented in 1912 and further developed in his 1915 book "The Origin of Continents and Oceans."

It is important to note that while Wegener suggested the concept of Pangaea, much of his theory and evidence supporting continental drift was not widely accepted at the time due to the lack of sufficient scientific explanations. It was only later in the 20th century that the theory of plate tectonics emerged and provided a more robust framework to explain continental movements, making Pangaea a widely recognized concept in the field of geology and geography.