Bertha Ringer, better known today as Bertha Benz, was the first woman in history to drive an automobile over a long distance.
Bertha’s husband, Karl Benz, is the maker of the first car which runs on a fuel-burning engine and the founder of Mercedes Benz along with German engineer Gottlieb Daimler.
On 5 August 1888, Bertha Benz was the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance, field testing the patent Motorwagen, inventing brake lining and solving several practical issues during the journey of 65 miles (105 km).
The German national set a Guinness world record driving for 106 km.
Bertha’s story raises somewhat of an interesting debate. While it was men who designed, created and developed the car, none of them had ever driven it over a long distance before her.
By completing the first long-distance journey in automotive history, Bertha Benz not only proved to her husband, as she planned, but also to many skeptics that the automobile had a big future ahead. She had demonstrated that the motor car was fit for purpose on this 180-kilometer journey (there and back).
Bertha invested her own fortune with her husband, a man who was driven to create a “self-propelled vehicle” in the 19th century, a period of ecclesiastical traditions.
In 1885, the vehicle known as Benz Patent-Motorwagen, was hidden in his garage for a year. At the time, it cost him 600 Marks, or $150.
Karl only revealed his invention in the mid of 1886, after which he designed and created 25 other cars.
Interestingly, Bertha drove the car without Karl’s knowledge because he did not like to boast about his creations, in fear of the religious traditions.
On August 5, 1888, Bertha opened the garage door at dawn while her husband was asleep, rode the car with her 15-year-old son Eugen and younger brother Richard.
Bertha drove Mannheim city, her residence, to Pforzheim, where she was born. Today, the difference between the two cities is 90 km, compared to 106 km then.
According to some sites, Bertha spent three days with her family in Pforzheim, and upon her arrival, the car had gained publicity quickly – with many people calling it a miracle.
Bertha Benz was not only a courageous woman but also very smart because she introduced inventions during her trip. To increase the engine’s power, she stopped at a pharmacy and bought a fuel stimulating agent.
Also, when she noticed the breaks were weak, she stopped at a blacksmith and asked to dress the clutch with horse leather to better curb the wheels.
