In 1888, it was Bertha Benz who completed a journey of 180 km in the world’s first car developed by her spouse, Karl Benz
In 1888, the term ‘car’ was nowhere to be detected in any glossary, for people relied on horse-drawn carriages and bullock karts for mobility. However, that year marked the beginning of the world’s automobile industry because of one brave woman. It was Bertha Benz, and this piece is all about her extraordinary journey.
A woman, world’s first car and 180 km
The earliest car in the world was developed by German automotive pioneer Karl Benz in 1879 and the patent for the same was registered in 1886, named as the ‘Benz Patent-Motorwagen’ with patent number 37435. However, the three-wheeled car had never ventured out on a long journey and therefore, its authenticity was questioned by many. That’s when Bertha Benz, the wife of Karl Benz, did the impossible.
One fine morning in the month of August, Bertha woke up early and also aroused her two teenage sons. The three of them pushed the car out of the barn and fired it up away from their home. They played so to suppress the roar of the engine because Karl Benz was not briefed about the plan. Once the motor ignited, Bertha and boys left from Mannheim to Pforzheim (Bertha’s birthplace) on the world’s first car.
It was an era when there were no markings or highways and therefore, the three brave souls struggled hard to find directions. That was not the mere hindrance, as Bertha had to stop the car several times as it demanded to be cooled down. Furthermore, refuelling the car was another painful task as in that generation, fuel was available in the form of ligroin. During the journey, Bertha refuelled the car with ligroin from a pharmacist at Wiesloch, which accidentally became the world’s first fuel station.
Mending the car, reaching Pforzheim
On the expedition, the car crashed down several times, but Bertha used her expertise and fixed it. After 12 hours of struggle, she ultimately reached her birthplace and sent a telegram to Karl. A few days later, she returned and gave her valuable feedback to Karl, and as per her assessment; the car was tweaked to perfection. Today, that one-cylinder, four-stroke engine three-wheeled car you see in the attached picture above this column is placed at the ‘Bertha Benz Memorial Route’ in Mannheim, Germany.
