In August 1888, Bertha Benz of Mannheim, Germany loads her kids into a revolutionary vehicle and heads for Pforzheim. She drives the Benz Patent Motorwagen No. 3, created in 1886 by her husband Karl. Bertha's memorable road trip brings Benz into the public eye.
READ - Lora Ley Fantasy Fiction German Mythology Series
See also:
When Bertha marries Karl, German law states a woman must give all her assets to her husband when they wed. In 1887 that law is finally repealed. Bertha brings plenty of money to the marriage and always considered herself an investor and business partner.
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries
Karl Benz has already shown his work to the Mannheim populace. His vehicles receive mild attention as novelties and Bertha, frustrated by her husband's poor marketing skills, itches for real action.
See also:
While Karl fiddles in the workshop, she puts on her travel hat, grabs sons Richard, thirteen and Eugen, fifteen, and fires up the car. Not only does she get plenty of attention during her drive, she identifies problems and makes improvements.
On the way she deals with challenges as they arise. She cleans a blocked fuel line with her hat pin, uses her garter as insulation and gets a smith to help fix a chain.
See also:
The Benz Patent Motorwagen Number 3 uses ligroin, a petroleum derivative, as fuel. At the time, chemists supply ligroin. So, when Bertha fills 'er up, the Stadt-Apotheke (Town Pharmacy) in Wiesloch, became the world's first filling station. It's still there today.
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
In 1925 Karl Benz writes in his memoirs: "Only one person remained with me in the small ship of life when it seemed destined to sink. That was my wife. Bravely and resolutely she set the new sails of hope."
See also:
The road she traveled, from Mannheim via Heidelberg and Wieloch to Pforzheim and back, is now the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. The route covers a distance of 65 mi or 104 km.
Mercedes Benz
While Karl Benz works on his machines, an automaker from Stuttgart was busy in England. Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler create the automobile at the same time, but independently. Daimler builds the Daimler Motorized Carriage.
See also:
Daimler dies in 1900 and the business calls upon Emil Jellinek, an entrepreneur and racing enthusiast. His daughter's name is Mercedes. By this time Benz is already in merger with Daimler. The Mercedes Benz motor company hits the market in 1926.
See also: