Little story about Benz's reckless wife: Without her, there would be no Mercedes-Benz and no more modern cars like today.

Cacilie Bertha, the ninth daughter of the Karl Friedrich Ringer and Auguste Friederike, born May 3, 1849 in Pforzheim, Germany is considered by many historians to be one of the most influential women in the automotive industry. most (if not the number 1) in the development of the modern automobile industry.

Her father, then a carpenter and master builder, was financially able to support all nine of his children to receive a complete education and Bertha, the third daughter in the family, also no exceptions. It was the solid background of knowledge that contributed a great part to Bertha's important later role that perhaps she did not expect.

In the summer of 1870, Bertha met the young engineer Carl Benz and his love quickly blossomed between them. However, and most importantly, their ambition and knowledge were like "giving birth to a couple". with big plans that the tiny sky at Pforzheim could hardly contain.

Carl Benz then set up a manufacturing workshop in Mannheim with Augus Ritter shortly after meeting Bertha and the two soon decided to hold the wedding, which is expected after the German engineers' factory was finished. . However, the disagreements between Carl and partners make everything stagnant.

Bertha, still at home with his family at Pforzheim, knew about the story once Carl visited and quickly made his decision. She urged her father to give Benz a dowry before the wedding and even advanced the inheritance she later received so that his fiancé could build the factory himself without consulting his partner. again. The "magic journey" of Carl Benz has since begun .

The church bell signaling the wedding of Carl Benz and Bertha Ringer rang at Pforzheim on July 20, 1872 but the place they chose to live in was Mannheim. Carl himself built a small 2-room house for himself and his wife at the mechanical workshop where he worked. When his first son, Eugen, was born on May 1, 1873, the Bertha family was overjoyed but at the same time . in debt.

The small family of Carl and Bertha Benz also welcomed a new member, Richard (1874), but things became more and more difficult, forcing them to sell most of the equipment in the factory 3 years later just before their children. 3rd girl Klara was born.

Despite the high difficulty of mountains, Bertha himself was a solid spiritual fulcrum for Carl Benz in the darkest chapter of his career. Contrary to the talented but inferior husband, obstinate and self-doubt, Bertha is a strong, energetic and energetic woman - the super rare values ​​of a woman - sex was "dependent" in the patriarchal society of the then German Empire.

Even when Carl Benz failed repeatedly, she always found a way to encourage her husband to stand up again and again and continued to do so during 60 years of living together.

Not only is the spiritual support, Bertha's knowledge base also helps Carl Benz extremely effectively. She is always the only employee present with her husband at the workshop, constantly discussing and commenting with Carl Benz about his inventions and thus gaining her in-depth expertise. Later experts, as well as witnesses at the time, agreed that Bertha was as knowledgeable about cars and their engines as his husband.

In 1878, Carl embarked on the first commercial engine test in history. Right on New Year's Eve when the 3 children were still asleep, the sound of the car engine echoing and the bell signaling the New Year showed that the initial test of Carl and Bertha was successful.

4 years later (1882) shortly after the fourth child Thilde was born, the Benz family once again faced the situation of "empty pockets", just at the time Carl founded Mannheim gasoline engine manufacturing company with some partners but later withdrawn because of ambition. In the middle of nothing, Carl Benz founded a new company after finding like-minded partners with the ambition to build his own car.

Fast forward to 1886, Bertha constantly appears in Benz's test runs, she is not only a contributor to the manufacturing process, who gets off the trolley when the engine suddenly stops but also a prop. " lucky "of her husband.

The test runs on the short distance gradually became smoother, so Carl began to wonder if the car he built was capable of long-distance operation and the difficulties that may be encountered. However, he had no way to deal with the headache when the authorities issued a driving ban at the time.

Once again, the one who came to rescue Carl was Bertha. In August 1888, her wonderful journey began. Hiding everything with Carl, Bertha and his sons decided to take the test car on a 180 km journey to Pforzheim and back to Mannheim, along with new suggestions, new ideas to complete the car.

Patent Motor Car - the car that Bertha was driving then was the first car in the world. Bertha, believing in his husband's ability and vision with his own knowledge, decided to take the first long-distance journey by automobile recorded in history to prove his view was right and at the same time. document improvements that may be applied to the commercial version.

The destination chosen was Pforzheim, Bertha's hometown. Without a word to her husband, Bertha took his two sons, Eugen and Richard, one early morning morning in August 1888. Pushing the car out of the factory for a long time, she started the engine only when she was sure the engine wouldn't wake her husband and the exciting journey began. Carl only knew that they had left the note she left on his desk when they realized the car was "wingless."

All three of them were in the car at that time, completely blinded despite knowing the exact destination, so they decided to just follow the route they used to return to the countryside.

Gasoline to operate the car is also a big problem because the "fuel tank" of the Patent Motor Car placed close to the carburetor then had a capacity of only 4.5 liters while at that time this was not easy-to-find fuel. Fortunately for them is the pharmacy in Wiesloch that sells this rare item to help 3 people continue their journey.

How cool the engine (then 2.5 horsepower) is also a headache of Bertha and Carl Benz before. The evaporative cooling water system requires Carla to always find a supply wherever possible: rivers, streams, public toilets or sometimes ditches.

During the 180 km journey back and forth, it was Bertha who cared for, paying attention to the smallest details of the Patent Motor Car and dealing with any problems that arise, whether connecting fuel lines with a hairpin or cover the insulation of worn ignition wire .

The Patent Motor Car Model III, a replica almost identical to the one that Bertha and his two sons tested, is still stored in the museum and is the oldest Benz car still preserved.

Sweet fruits came to the Benz family in 1906, the moment they left Mannheim and moved to Ladenburg to set up their own factory Carl Benz Sohne. The first car to roll off the factory in 1908 marked a new chapter in the global automotive industry - the period when mechanical machines officially replaced horses as the leading means of transportation.

During this glorious time, Carl Benz always remembered his wife who pursued her passion and helped her through the most difficult period. Almost never Carl appeared on the awards ceremony, the podium honor without Bertha stand by. She accompanied him to the end of the road - April 4, 1929, the time when the great German engineer died.

As for Bertha Benz, she died on May 5, 1944, at the age of 95. Her name up until now is still largely known to the Germans but no one can deny the importance of Bertha in promoting the global automotive industry. Without Bertha, we don't have a Carl Benz behind the world's first original car (1888) and it's unclear how many years the engine and automobile development will be pushed back .