Bertha Benz

Hello, my name is Bertha Benz, and I want to tell you a story about a journey that changed the world. I was born on May 3rd, 1849, in the town of Pforzheim, Germany. In the 1800s, it was quite unusual for a girl to be interested in how machines worked, but I was fascinated by science and mechanics. I loved to understand how things were put together and what made them go. My father saw this curiosity in me and encouraged it, which was a wonderful gift. He taught me that having a determined spirit was just as important as having a brilliant idea. This belief shaped my entire life and gave me the confidence to follow my passions, even when the path was not easy.

As a young woman, I met a remarkable engineer named Karl Benz. He was a brilliant inventor, but he often doubted himself and his ideas. Karl had a dream that seemed impossible to many people at the time: he wanted to build a 'horseless carriage,' a vehicle that could move on its own without being pulled by an animal. I listened to his plans and knew, with all my heart, that he could succeed. I believed in his vision so much that in 1871, a year before we were married, I invested my dowry—the money my father had set aside for me—into his workshop. This was a significant financial risk, but it allowed him to keep working. We were married on July 20th, 1872, and from that day forward, we were not just husband and wife, but partners in a shared dream that would one day put the world on wheels.

Years of hard work finally paid off. In 1886, Karl received a patent for his invention, the Benz Patent-Motorwagen. It was the world's first true automobile. We should have been celebrating, but there was a major problem. The public was terrified of it. When we took it out for a test, people complained that it was loud, that it smelled awful, and that it was far too dangerous. They were used to the quiet clip-clop of horses, not the sputtering of an engine. Karl was a genius at inventing, but he was not a showman. He grew discouraged by the public's fearful reaction and became hesitant to show the world what his incredible machine was truly capable of. His invention sat in his workshop, and I knew that without bold action, it might stay there forever.

I decided I had to do something drastic to prove the automobile was not just a toy, but a useful and reliable machine. So, I made a secret plan. On the morning of August 5th, 1888, without telling my husband, I left him a note on the kitchen table. I woke our two teenage sons, Eugen and Richard, and together we pushed the Motorwagen out of the workshop and down the road so Karl wouldn't hear the engine start. Our destination was my mother's house in Pforzheim, a journey of 66 miles. No one had ever driven a car that far before. It was the world's first long-distance road trip, and it was full of challenges. The car had no fuel tank, so I had to stop at a pharmacy in the town of Wiesloch to buy ligroin, a cleaning fluid that could power the engine. At one point, the fuel line became clogged, so I cleared it with my long hatpin. Later, a wire began to spark, so I used my garter to insulate it. The wooden brakes started to wear out, so when we stopped in another town, I asked a cobbler to nail leather strips onto them, inventing the world's first brake pads.

When we finally arrived in Pforzheim, tired and dusty but triumphant, I sent a telegram to Karl to let him know we were safe. He must have been so surprised and worried, but my daring journey was a spectacular success. Word spread like wildfire about the woman who drove a horseless carriage for 66 miles. The trip generated incredible publicity and proved to everyone that the automobile was a practical and reliable form of transportation. Our adventure also gave us valuable information. We realized the car needed another gear to make it up steep hills, a suggestion that Karl quickly added to his design. My road trip showed the world that the horseless carriage wasn't something to fear; it was the future.

After that journey, everything changed. Our company, Benz & Cie., grew and became one of the most successful automobile manufacturers in the world. My belief in Karl's dream, and my determination to show it to the world, had paid off. For my contributions, I was honored late in my life. On my 95th birthday in 1944, I was officially named an Honourable Senator by the Technical University of Karlsruhe. I lived to be 95 years old. Today, I am remembered as an automotive pioneer, and the 66-mile route I drove on that August day is now a historic scenic drive in Germany, celebrating the journey that helped put the modern world in motion.