The German Car Miracle: How Germany became the country of cars
She did this without her husband’s knowledge, driving the Benz Motorwagen No.3, a slightly modified version of Carl’s original Motorwagen. The Motorwagen was the first automobile and was patented in 1886.
Bertha had invested her wedding dowry to help finance her husband’s work, but their invention was struggling.
The skeptical government officials had barred the Motorwagen from the roads of Mannheim. In one disastrous early test drive, horses and dogs had gotten terrified at the motor noise, bolting into the crowds.
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Bertha took the prototype out for a highly illegal spin to prove that the Motorwagen was safe and ready to sell.
This was a radical declaration and a private message to Carl, encouraging him to have the courage to carry on.
It wasn’t only Carl who invented the automobile; it was the team of Carl and Bertha
Back in the day when there were no road maps or GPS, Bertha – a strong and brave woman – had to rely on rivers and railroad tracks to find her way to her mother’s home.
She was travelling in a buggy with wooden wheels powered by a 2-hp, four-stroke engine. Bertha and her husband Carl believed in the Motorwagen and were always working on it together.
They both played a significant role in inventing the automobile, but Bertha’s contributions were often overlooked. In 2008, a researcher named Meyer mapped Bertha’s route, which loops through different cities, towns, and villages.
He wanted to give Bertha the recognition she deserved in history. Bertha’s journey was not only brave but also a little crazy, which was probably the reason her plan succeeded.