Bertha Benz's Pioneering Drive

What happened

In the summer of 1888, Karl Benz's wife Bertha, with their two sons, drove a Motorwagen some fifty miles from Mannheim to Pforzheim and back — without telling her husband. Solving mechanical problems along the way, she became the world's first long-distance motorist.

Why it matters

Bertha Benz's journey proved the automobile could be more than a curiosity, demonstrating its practicality to a sceptical public and winning the young invention priceless publicity.

Sources

• National Motor Museum. Bertha Benz · Reputable source