16 Interesting Facts About Mercedes-Benz: Brand Name Could Have Been Adrienne!

2. Bertha Benz Became The First Person To Travel Long Distance In A Car That Went Beyond A Test Drive.

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Bertha Ringer Benz was much more than just the wife of the famous engineer Carl Benz. Not only did she enable her husband to continue his business financially by using her dowry when his business was not doing so well, but she was also the first human to dare to take a twelve-hour road trip in a modern car.

In 1888, three years after the invention of the car, she (39) and her two sons, Eugen and Richard, drove a 106 km / 65-mile round trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mom’s house. Five days later, the trio traveled back from a different route.

Above photo shows a staged reenactment of Bertha Benz’s historic drive with her two sons. Below you will find some incredible firsts on Bertha’s journey:




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At the time of the famous journey, Bertha Benz was a mother of four. She took her two sons, aged 14 and 15, with her. Two daughters, aged 6 and 11, stayed home with their father. After they reached Bertha’s birthplace, she notified her husband of their successful road trip by telegram. Bertha Benz was from a wealthy family.
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On the way, she stopped by a pharmacy to buy Ligroin as motor fuel. At the time, only pharmacies supplied that flammable liquid for cleaning and lighting. The picture shows a contemporary depiction of refueling in Wiesloch.

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This shopping makes the town pharmacy, Stadt Apotheke, the first petrol station in the world. There is a plaque on the facade of the historic building to commemorate that stop.




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Bertha Benz also served as a beta tester by taking notes of possible improvements or things that failed. (for example, it turned out that it was necessary to push the car on uphill roads.) During the 106-kilometer round trip, she invented brake shoes and overcame mechanical problems. (Color by Olga Shirnina)
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Berta’s trip gained a lot of attention. Confidence in the car increased. Shortly after, the first Benz Patent Motor car was sold. Bertha Benz died during World War II in 1944 at 95 in Ladenburg, a small town near Mannheim.

Bertha Benz wanted to patent the car herself as a venture capitalist.

Another interesting fact about this powerful woman is that she wanted to patent the car herself as a venture capitalist. However, German imperial law did not allow a woman to obtain a patent.