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

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.

On the way, she stopped by a pharmacy in 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.

This shopping makes the city 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.

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)

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.

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.