So much for all those tired jokes about women and driving — because the very first person to ever take a car out for a proper spin wasn’t just a skilled driver… she was a woman who basically kickstarted the automotive age while her husband was still busy tinkering. Yes, we are talking about Bertha Benz, a German automotive pioneer. She was the first driver in the world owing to her trek in an automobile equipped with an internal combustion engine in August 1888, thereby taking the first long-distance taxi ride. This historical passion of hers not only proved how practical her husband Karl Benz’s invention was but also helped shape and generate the modernised car. National Women Inventors Month 2025 Date and History: Know Significance of Observance That Celebrates and Honours Female Inventors. Bertha Benz was born on May 3, 1849, in Pforzheim, Germany. She married Karl Benz in 1872 and became a major contributor to his engineering projects. Her financial help and undying faith in Karl made it possible to create the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which Karl patented in January 1886. This car is known to have been the first practical automobile. Bertha Benz First Car Route In a way, public scepticism and unawareness prevented the first success of the invention, which was so revolutionary at that time. In order to respond to this, Bertha took an audacious step. Without telling her husband, she made a journey from Mannheim to her hometown, Pforzheim, which is approximately 106 kilometres (66 miles) with her two sons, Eugen and Richard. This travel was the first known to feature an automobile trip for such a distance, which may be said to be the first road trip in the world. During the journey, Bertha faced many challenges, some of which she surmounted. Energy was scarce because gasoline was not available. She purchased ligroin, a petroleum solvent, from a pharmacy in Wiesloch, which nowadays has been termed the world’s first filling station. Mechanical issues also arose: she cleared a jammed fuel line using a hatpin and tweaked the ignition with her hairpin. When the wooden brakes were worn out, she turned to a cobbler to install leather pads, which could be considered the invention of brake linings. Bertha Benz: The Journey That Changed Everything (Watch Video) Bertha’s travel was not merely an account of the vehicle's capabilities but also a tactic of gaining an audience and illustrating the automobile's capabilities. Her successful journey made the reliability of the Motorwagen evident and outlined the necessity of automobile infrastructure: fueling stations and repair services. On her return, she gave Karl valuable feedback and major improvements on the vehicle's design. Bertha Benz Memorial Route The Bertha Benz Memorial Route was established in 2008 in honour of her contributions. This scenic route follows the path she initially took, enabling tourists to enjoy the path that was instrumental in the history of automobiles. Instead of showing the automobile's impracticality, Benz had a pioneering and relentless spirit that demarcated its practicality and opened the future of personal transportation. Bertha Benz died on May 5, 1944, but her legacy lives on. Her experience achieved a monumental victory in the annals of automotive history, a statement of innovation, tenacity, and the power of belief in progress as manifestation.