Team-BHP
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https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Thought of sharing this interesting story I came across with all you road-trippers :).
Everyone knows Karl Benz, but how many have heard of his wife Bertha? I hadn't until yesterday.
Well, she was quite a gal. Bertha even asked her Dad to give Karl dowry in advance to start him off. Some interesting excerpts from
The Telegraph and
Daimler.
Quote:
Her name was Bertha Benz and she was not only married to Karl Benz, the man credited today with inventing the car, but as a lady of independent means she had provided much of the funding for the project. But while Karl was a genius engineer, he was neither a businessman nor a visionary. His ambition for his car was so limited he didn't even think to fit it with a fuel tank.
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Quote:
After they had pushed Karl's Model III Patent Motorwagen sufficiently far from the house that he'd not be woken, she swung its flywheel and fired up its single-cylinder, 1.6-litre engine. They lived in Mannheim and her goal was Pforzheim, some 56 miles away. As far as can be determined, it was the first long-distance journey ever undertaken by car.
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Quote:
The couple held many discussions and Bertha acquired technical knowledge. Witnesses of the time later reported that she knew the engines and the cars nearly as well as her husband.
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Also the world's first car girl :D
I had heard and read about her and her road trip on patent motorwagen a while back.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/v...w/53247748.cms
This video is a good watch for the legendary vehicle, its actually a replica made by Indian firm. What I am curious about is, in todays world where we have roads for transportation and still we complain about bad ride and other factors, this lady covered a long distance with no hard road but rather soft patch marked as road or no road at all. I am not sure about in what weather she took this journey, but taking into account the damp weather of Europe it was an uphill task.
I had seen a picture and a note on this in the 'GeeDee Car Museum', Coimbatore. Remembered it after seeing this thread. Fortunately I had taken a picture of this when I visited. Below is the picture that I took when I visited this Museum. (
Visit Report Link)
A very interesting tidbit of information. :)
Related news. Bertha Benz inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame
Quote:
Bertha Benz, first female automotive pioneer, was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame on the evening of July 21, 2016. As the visionary business partner of engineer husband Carl Benz (inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1984), she played a significant role in the filing of the first patent for the automobile in 1886 and demonstrating the road capability of her husband's invention. As a result, her place in history as the first female automotive pioneer has been secured.
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Source:
ETAuto
Well, I had mentioned her in my BRV/Motor-show official report last year. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samurai
(Post 3857618)
1) There aren't many hydrogen fueling stations! This is no different than the problem Bertha Benz faced while doing the first long distance drive in the first car in the world, created by her husband Karl Benz. At least she could buy some Ligroin in a pharmacy and use it as fuel. Therefore, Hachigo San promised that Honda will build 1 hydrogen fueling station for every 25 cars sold.
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I actually talk about Bertha Benz to our fresh trainees every year. They are amazed to learn that the first long distance driver was a woman. And that she invented brake pads during that drive. It is part of the training where I tell them how to think out of the box.
There's more to the story.
On the way Bertha asked a craftsmen to apply rubber to the steel spoke making the worlds first tyre and when the wooden brakes failed she asked a cobbler to put leather making the worlds first brake liner.
Ps: Just noticed Samurai had already mentioned the brake part.
I wonder what Karl Benz's reaction was when he woke up and found his wife, his sons and his invention missing. That must have been quite a moment!?! GTO, thanks for sharing this informative and entertaining episode. She was the world's first petrohead.
^^^^^
Words cannot express the poignant moments shown in this video. Clearly a woman of intellect and courage and a spirit of adventure. I wonder what was Herr Benz's reaction when he discovers his invention is missing and so is his wife and boys:uncontrol
Her maiden voyage brought out the shortfall of a two-gear car. Karl added a third gear as a consequence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TT86RWxxTWs
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