“Plate tectonics” is a young field of geoscientific research. What are the questions driving geoscientific research today? Can geoscience develop a unification theory of the endogen and exogen processes on our planet Earth that may even be valid for the processes on other planets? The lecture provides an insight into the development of geoscientific research over the last 500 years. It ends in a detailed explanation of today's research on plate tectonics. Surprises, better changed ways of thinking, are planned. Let me take you on a journey through the last 500 years and take you into the depths of our planet Earth and its effects on the surface evolution of the planet.