We are always being asked of the model of the perfect women from our individual perspectives.
Therefore, decided to describe my model once & for all.
No one won my heart but you BERTHA.
By the way, I just saw her picture today while writing this post. I loved her way before that.
I would tell you her story which I promise you will never forget.
It's a story that shows the greatness of women, and how without them, we men, would have nothing.
This story tells it all.

In July 1872, she married the German engineer Karl Benz (I understand BERTHA I will always Love you).



Karl Benz had revolutionary thoughts and radical ideas, at this time the carriage was the main mean of transportation. So, he thought of inventing something doing the job of horses. In our world today, it's like telling anyone that you want to invent a shoe that flies between cities replacing air-planes, or very close. I assessed the possible outcomes of expressing this thought, out of which, a psychiatry is the best one.




So Karl started his project in secrecy from his beloved wife, rented a garage and hired a couple of young assistants.

Every day, he leaves at dawn and returns at dusk or even midnight at times.

Every day, the Great BERTHA asks "Where have you been?" One week, two and four.

BERTHA made up her mind. (Notice: She didn't tear the condo apart, flush all your clothes, take two sets of keys and write the BIG...lipstick message on the toilet's mirror).
But she decided to leave the next morning after she confronts him when he is back.
Just at midnight, before just fully opening the door, he heard:
  • "Who is SHE?",
  • She??????
  • I waited to know Who & Why?
  • Who's Who?
  • The one you spend every night with, leaving me all alone. If so, why did you marry me?
  • He smiled, "Do you want me to take you to her?, come on let's go"

I would give my life to know the conversation on the road to the garage, if there was one. I will leave it to your imagination.

  • After he reached, while the boys were still there arranging it, he opened the door and told her:
  • "Here she is. This is the woman you are asking about" while pointing to the world's first internal combustion engine.
  • What is that? she asked
  • He told her the story of his dream
  • "Why didn't you tell me?"
  • "You would call me a fool"
  • "Am sorry I doubted you, Let's go home, you have a lot of work to do Karl, you need to rest for tomorrow."

The next day he woke up, he didn't find BERTHA home he found a note on the table saying "I went shopping."

He went to the garage as usual, he found BERTHA there, working with the boys understanding and arranging it all over.
  • He couldn't talk while looking at her.
  • She said "I Believe in it"
  • He said: "What is it?"
  • She said "I Believe in your dream"

From that day on, BERTHA was a key-player in the garage from Dawn to midnight, not only arranging things but trying to understand every little detail in this engine.
From the mid of 1888, BERTHA started to feel pain probably because of her pregnancy in their fifth child ELLEN who she gave birth to in 1890.
So, she wasn't active that much in the garage.
But, she was asking daily on the progress, suggesting solutions to design problems they were facing mainly in the steering wheel and the brakes. She was totally devoted to that dream.

In August, Karl finally decided he was ready for a test-drive. Everything worked but there were technical issues with the brakes and the steering wheel ,led him to an accident.



  • Karl returned home in the worst case BERTHA ever saw him in.
  • She asked "What's wrong?"
  • He replied "Listen to me, this engine is not gonna work, so if you really love me, I will ask you one thing, could I?"
  • She shook her head positively,
  • He continued "I want to go to sleep until I wake up myself, but when I do, I want this Engine thing wiped out of our memories and not mentioned ever again,OK?", and he went to sleep.

He woke up the next day's noon , he didn't find BERTHA. He madly thought she went to the garage.

He went to the garage, he found it closed, even the boys whom supposed to, weren't there.

He was very anxious, she never left without permission or leaving a note.

He went back home, waited and waited. It's almost the dawn of the next day, the door knocked (while he was preparing all the possible %%#$@(*&^%$@#$,. No Germans are very polite really), he found the telegram man handing him one, he opened it. I
searched a lot for the original telegram, even-though I knew the message, but finally found it in this form:





(TRANSLATION)

WE SUCCEEDED KARL.
I MANAGED TO DRIVE TO PFORZHEIM.
I ARRIVED AT GRANDMA's"

(She also said
I WILL DRIVE BACK TO MANNHEIM TOMORROW


Before getting into what happened during this period, there are a couple of things worth noting.

  • The first cross-country (automobile or engine driven carriage) journey was by a WOMAN.

  • It's the instinct of a woman who we owe to in the automobiles or cars we ride today. If Karl was alone, his invention would be thrown in a junk-yard, taking man-kind, GOD knows how many other decades to have another Karl, not alone but with another BERTHA too. Her instinct believed,then her heart and mind followed.

Let's see the details of the journey because its full of not only determination, but strength not less, if not more than Karl's the owner of the entire project.

After the conversation she had with Karl, she went to the garage at the dawn of that day, she fixed the carriage, told the boys to pack up and finish any necessary tasks,cause they are all going for a test-drive to Pforzheim (106 Km from Mannheim) in the morning".



The images below or the "Mother of Motoring" were made by Andrew Frankel in tribute to BERTHA.






Her first issue was fuel (Octane wasn't there these days) which was a petroleum ether called Ligroin like Kerosene but lighter.
Ligroin was mostly sold at pharmacies like acetone, Ladies use today for their nails. So, she must pack all what she can carry of Ligroin bottles.
Her second issue was cooling, she needs water every now and then. She needs bottles of water too. The engine was never up-running for a long period of time for the cooling issue to arise, therefore, a need of cooling system (fans & radiators) was never identified. (Look above, she probably had to stop and push the carriage until it cools off).




Her first stop for fuel was at the city pharmacy in Wiesloch, a monument dedicated to her historic trip is on the right. Note that in both images above & below, its referring to the same pharmacy or her first stop (Stadt apotheke or City Pharmacy).


At every stop, people were laughing at her, calling her names for sure. But, she had one thing in mind : Pforzheim.
She dealt with three mechanical and design issue: Steering wheel chain, the cooling of the engine and the braking,she invented what's called brake lining, the consumable part that wears with friction, converting the kinetic energy to heat and sound energy sometimes.
(The one you hear at sudden, forceful & drifting brakes)






Linings or Drum-shoes are still in use till today.



  • Braking Systems we are using today, was invented by a WOMAN.

She spent approximately more than 6 hours at the black-smith. Fixing and repairing these issues.
WHAT A WOMAN.
A QUESTION: What would happen to Karl's Engine if he wasn't married to a GREAT WOMAN?.
He gave up on his invention after the first failure, Remember?
and it was all due to braking failure. One mechanical failure.
SHE DEALT WITH ALL THREE in 24 hours.



Finally, Do I have to stumble on this by chance?

HISTORY: Where is SHE on your pages?. Not just as an INVENTOR but as a LEADER too.

MAN: ....BE MAN ABOUT IT

Lady BERTHA: I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU AS A WOMAN, INNOVATOR & LEADER.
I have told your story 3 times not counting this.

THIS HUMBLE POST IS only a flower IN TRIBUTE TO BERTHA BENZ.
NOT JUST A GREAT WOMAN OF ALL TIMES,
BUT THE WOMAN I WILL ALWAYS LOVE
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