<p>Plate tectonics theory was born in the 1960s, and has become a pillar of Earth science. This theory experienced a half century of the development from continental drift through seafloor spreading to plate subduction. It was realized that the evolution of the Earth’s lithosphere conforms to the simple kinematics of rigid blocks, thereby sparking a revolution in Earth science. This was mainly recorded by six classic papers, which are highlighted to show how pioneers achieved the scientific innovation by standing on the shoulders of giants. As one of interest-driven scientific innovations, furthermore, the plate tectonics theory has undergone continuous development and refinement in the past five decades since its launch. After entering the 21st century, it comes to know that there are not only the temporal and spatial coupling between plate tectonics and mantle convection but also the mutual transformation between divergent and convergent plate margins. Additionally, rigid plate margins can become ductile at high geothermal gradients. It is integration of these advances that has upgraded the plate tectonics theory from the traditional kinematic version into a holistic kinematic-dynamic version.</p>