Written By Brianna Ansaldo
 

The car has been around for over a century, which makes it easy to forget that there were real-life humans behind its invention, not to mention a messy, complex journey of invention.

There are of course some well-meaning gentlemen that were involved in the invention of the automobile. But, possibly one of the most important figures was a woman by the name of Bertha Benz.

Bertha Benz’s husband was a locomotive engineer, Karl Benz. After getting into a good deal of debt in an iron manufacturing business, he was bailed out by his then-fiance Bertha and, with her financial support, set about on his lifelong dream of creating the first true automobile.

There were many failed attempts by Karl before he had any success with a saleable automobile. These contraptions started out as three-wheeled vehicles that could reach 25kph (wild speeds in the day of the horse-drawn carriage). By the time they reached “Model III”, these machines were saleable and one could opt for some sick mods like a folding roof and additional vis-à-vis bench seats, the height of comfort.

However, back then, automobiles were not an easy sell. They were loud, shuddering, unreliable and, well, they didn’t involve horses. How dumb! As we know all too well, humans are, in general, terrible at embracing change. The general view back in the 1800s was that these “horseless carriages” were absolutely impractical.

However, this public had yet to encounter Bertha’s genius.


It’s helpful to point out here that Karl was no Elon Musk. By all accounts, he was meticulous, patient and conservative and prone to bouts of self-doubt and depression. Karl had some serious doubts about the practicality of his inventions and wondered if they’d ever be useful for anything more than quick jaunts around town.

But Bertha was made of different stuff and could see a little further than her husband’s limited view.

Not only did she have impressive intelligence, but she also disagreed with her husband and spoke out resolutely against dissenters of the automobile.

So in 1888, following the release of Model III and tired of her husband’s general attitude, Bertha took matters into her own hands. Bertha roped her two teenage sons into her plans and took a trip. This trip included the first roadside repairs, the first automatic marketing stunt, the first case of a wife borrowing her husband’s car without asking and the first violation of intercity highway laws in a motor vehicle. And it set the scene for the automotive revolution.

 
 
 

  • Will 00:00

    A lot of engineering history tells the story of heroic efforts in the workshop, the lab, you know, tinkering, designing, thinking, putting things together. But one thing we know is you haven't really invented something until you've got it out there with users. You've put it out there and you've tested it. And for cars, that means you haven't really got your invention out into the world until someone's taken the first road trip. Today, Rogers told me the story of the world's very first road trip where Bertha Bens set off to her mother's house with her two teenage boys and on the way invented brakes, invented the category of road trip testing and set off the automotive industry enjoy

    Rod 00:52

    so you know, we'll I've always been obsessed with petrol the possibilities of the science, smell of fumes

    Will 00:58

    out on the racetrack.

    Rod 00:59

    The taste the texture.

    Will 01:01

    Yeah, because talking about cars is often what we do.

    Rod 01:05

    No, just petrol. I only care about petrol. I like its possibilities.

    Will 01:09

    road trips?

    Rod 01:09

    road trips. Yes

    Will 01:12

    commuting to work?

    Rod 01:13

    Ah, now you're talking my wet dreams. It's also the deep expansive and even beautiful history of this liquid of the gods.

    Will 01:20

    Okay. Yeah,

    Rod 01:21

    Where do you start?

    Will 01:23

    with dinosaurs

    Rod 01:24

    Is that where we start?

    Will 01:25

    I don't know.

    Rod 01:26

    This is gonna be a nine part episode, seven hours apiece, starting with dinosaurs. Now I wasn't sure I was thinking I need to I need to dive into petrol Yeah. For a moment. So I thought well, I start because I once worked as a pump jockey

    Will 01:40

    Did you really?

    Rod 01:40

    I did. Driveway service.

    Will 01:43

    You are the people sit in the car. Hey, Fill her up. sonny Jim.

    Rod 01:45

    Yep, a while ago. I was the sunny and the Jim and they say while you're at it check the thing in the what's his name and

    Will 01:50

    that's cool.

    Rod 01:51

    There's before I had a license so they probably would not look at and go Yeah, engine you have engine seems to be smelly. So it's working. It was hilarious mechanics what I was a absolute moron because I didn't know how anything worked. I'm like, I'm 16 Why the fuck would I care how a car works.

    Will 02:04

    There are 16 year olds who care

    Rod 02:06

    Oh, and I was surrounded by them in my high school briefly. Anyway, so I thought I'm going to start with the history of petrol retail sales.

    Will 02:12

    This is the episode to know the story of petrol retail sales

    Rod 02:16

    I've been building this for for your ambition for your mission. So purpose built gas stations or petrol stations filling stations, I started to appear in the US around 1905. which is exciting.

    Will 02:30

    That's before it was horses, and you didn't have your horse up.

    Rod 02:32

    Well not quite. Not quite. Before that. There were other ways

    Will 02:37

    to fill up your horse. Yes, fill

    Rod 02:38

    up your car, your liquid hey.

    Will 02:41

    Just pump this stuff right into your horse. The original problem is the changeover times right? You're gonna get too high in real fast if your

    Rod 02:49

    problem is when you get in real fast in liquid form comes out real fast and

    Will 02:53

    you're on a horse road trip and you got to stop to fill your horse up with your hay and then you and get you go and get your muesli bars and windscreen wipers ice brake. It's you get your iced coffee, you've got to have that

    Rod 03:07

    Yes you do. So 1905. This is purpose built gas stations. So at first However, people pump their own gas go to the curbside and there'd be a Bowser or something there and they pump their own

    Will 03:18

    just at the curbside

    Rod 03:19

    just to curbside of someone's leaving just like barrels of petrol around like literally boughs and pumps and stuff, but that'd be in front of a business, but it wasn't purpose.

    Will 03:28

    Like it's another business and they got petrol there as well. We're haberdashery. Yes.

    Rod 03:32

    And Bowser, we have hats, we have linens and we have that's fuels his milliner. Yeah, no, I was reinforcing. haberdashery. It's the first driving service station opened in Pennsylvania in 1913. So quite a few years later,

    Will 03:46

    I like the idea that they thought driving wasn't, I mean, I can get that there would be a moment when they're like, Alright, you're gonna go on the back of a hardware store and you get like jerrycan, and it's like, what if you bring your car to the moment?

    Rod 03:59

    Yeah, in Australia, so September 1914, there was a fuel pump that was invented by a Canadian by the name of Bowser.

    Will 04:06

    His name was Bowser, you know? So, Bowser is actually named after Mr. Bowser - or was it his first name

    Rod 04:16

    Samuel flux after the works at King Cooper Bowser. Yeah. So if you'd invented it, we'd all go to the petrol grant.

    Will 04:23

    I can't believe that. I can't believe though now that wasn't before. It makes so much sense.

    Rod 04:28

    Yeah, that's how much it's taken on real meaning. Wow, that is great. So as a Canadian mob SF Bowser and Co and it was exhibited 1914 in Melbourne, and everyone was very excited

    Will 04:38

    Well at the Melbourne show exhibited, and here is your future. It's Mr. Bowers, it's about a hump finally, we found a Bowser I've never heard of what about that before but that?

    Rod 04:47

    Yeah. So this is what 1914 By 1916 the Melbourne City Council said that most garages had installed the bowser system. So they've really got on board. got very excited. And five years later petrol pumps are increasingly common, though often still found at the curb size, but they were dotted around Australia as well. So we've got that. That's cool. Yeah, it's very cool. But the first private citizen fuel stop in the world, private citizen fuel stop, the private citizen who first bought fuel for the vehicle, first bought fuel for their vehicle first bought the fuel first went, I need to, I'm going to need to fill this up,

    Will 05:23

    I need some my car doesn't just have one tank forever.

    Rod 05:26

    My velocipede needs some Juju juice. So have nearly 20 years earlier in 1888. So this was this is just the beginning of the time where people would buy their fuel, not necessarily petrol, but fuels of different descriptions out of barrels at hardware stores or grocery stores. So you'd go and dip your ladle and

    Will 05:46

    get some apples and a ladle of fuel

    Rod 05:47

    off document and balancing it on the way out to like, what's that smell? I don't know. But I feel woozy.

    Will 05:52

    I just get a plastic bag full of full of oil.

    Rod 05:54

    I can imagine the incentives of people pouring all over themselves in lighting a cigarette and

    Will 05:59

    I don't see why.

    Rod 06:02

    Because it's silly. The olden time people we've talked about them. So the fuel at the time that this first purchase occurred was called Li groin, Li groin. The vendor was in apotheecary shop pharmacy in Vizsla, Germany and the person, you're gonna need to brace yourself for this. The first recreational fuel purchase a was are you ready for this? A woman.

    Will 06:46

    Welcome to the wholesome show, the podcast that vigorously inhales noxious gases from the whole of science

    Rod 06:53

    pertinent to the episode. That's my first

    Will 06:56

    the wholesome show is me. Will grant

    Rod 06:58

    and me Roderick Griffin, Philip Lambert's that's what they used to call me,

    Will 07:02

    sonny Jim. Yep, sure. So, sonny Jim Lambert Lambert's the third

    Will 07:07

    Did you enjoy your time as a fill up Sonny Jim Boy?

    Rod 07:11

    No, it was actually handy having the keys to a place that had all that snack foods when you're a teenager and would

    Will 07:17

    I get all the snacks he can eat?

    Rod 07:19

    Well, yeah, also, you know, maybe we would occasionally indulge in herbal materials that would enhance your desire.

    Will 07:26

    Never heard of anyone smoking cones in a petrol station.

    Rod 07:29

    Holy shit. The mechanics little room stank of weed and international roast. That's what smells the classic combination. Mechanics didn't like me because I was a fancy boy who had an education and stuff.

    Rod 07:40

    I get it. You're off to do something else looking down on this place? Yeah. 16 year old snot. Yep, just filling up the tanks.

    Rod 07:48

    Yeah, it was very weird. Anyway, there was a woman It was great. A woman call free delish. Michael who Mikhail violent, was born in Muhlenberg Deutschland German, November of 1844. His parents were Josephine Vaillant. And his father was a train driver guy whose name was Johann George bends. She his mother married a few months after the car was born. Johan George bends scandalous, scandalous mid 1800 and they're getting married. And it's scandalous because he she was already up the duff.

    Will 08:22

    Oh, okay. Yeah. So the timing was a little bit pre married. Or the miracles, or the miracles.

    Rod 08:35

    So when he was two, his father died of pneumonia. And his name was then changed to called friedli bends to honor his father. Nice. So there was some kind of deal where you're dead. You're not a bastard anymore. I don't know how it worked in middle 1880s.

    Will 08:50

    He got a name.

    Rod 08:50

    He got his father's surname. So they're really poor. But his mother still wanted to give him a really good education. She's good lady. She wanted to make sure Mikhail was doing all right. Apparently was a prodigious student prodigious

    Will 09:02

    in what way?

    Rod 09:03

    Well, he prodigious did a lot, a lot of high quality things, high quality studies, very science focus, okay, and engineering. And when he was nine, he went started going to a science focus at a school now once sources Lyceum, but I don't know if that's the type of school or the school

    Will 09:18

    high school.

    Rod 09:20

    So I went to the science focused High School. He went on to Carl's who was Polytechnical School and graduated when he's 19.

    Will 09:27

    Sounds about appropriate.

    Rod 09:32

    And at first, when he was at school, he's really into being a locksmith. Part of me gets it because it'd be weird, but not for years.

    Will 09:39

    It's a job. It's definitely a job. And you can break into people's houses if you need.

    Rod 09:42

    I didn't think of that. But then he changed directions. And he decided to go into locomotive engineering, much like his dad sort of was involved. And he wanted then after he graduated, he wanted through a few technical jobs here, a few Mechanical Engineering focused companies that took him on but he never really settled. So he worked as a draftsman and a design On a scale factory scales, yeah. Okay. So German, the MC scales are very good scales.

    Will 10:07

    It's the designer as well. Yeah. Are there lots of different designs? So I assume that you've kind of perfected the fruit scales. And then you use the same until digital come out. And that's it.

    Will 10:18

    But what if it's not fruit?

    Will 10:20

    Fruit, vegetables

    Rod 10:22

    cats

    Will 10:23

    okay, you gotta measure some cats.

    Will 10:25

    He also worked for bridge building company and an iron construction company. So he wandered around all you know, physical engineering stuff. In 1871. He's about 27, he teamed up with a friendly chap. Or as I remember, from my German days, I net a kale, which means like a nice chap, a guy called Auguste Ritter, and they created the iron foundry and mechanical workshop, guess what they do?

    Will 10:49

    iron foundry and mechanics? Yes. Excellent. Very straight names. Very German. Yeah. Okay,

    Rod 10:55

    what does it do what we told you, but it is in Mannheim, but later they renamed it to the factory for machines for sheet metal working.

    Will 11:03

    Again, again, if you're looking at what does it do this is the fact that it does

    Rod 11:07

    SEO maximization 170 years ago,

    Will 11:10

    maybe maybe German is just a language that is designed for search engine optimization, it is just say everything precisely. And you know what it is.

    Rod 11:18

    And if there's seven nouns to describe a new thing, you just bang all seven nouns together. And that's the new name of the thing. I cannot think of a single example in German now, but the number of times you'd read it and be like, dog cat bag, lead to feet, tie on strap, and you're like, that must be the dog bed, two feet toilet?

    Will 11:37

    I don't know if they need those things. They're sure

    Rod 11:39

    well they might have. That one didn't go well. Anyway, neither did this company didn't go well.

    Will 11:42

    What No, iron foundry sound good and machine works.

    Rod 11:46

    They do don't know. But turned out Ritter was, at least according to some sources, the quote was unreliable. And so they didn't make money. They ended up losing money.

    Will 11:53

    I thought he was a good fellow. You seem to find him in German as a good fellow.

    Rod 11:57

    That's because I remembered it. I don't know if it's true.

    Will 11:59

    Well, why did you put it in? He's clearly not,

    Rod 12:01

    but we didn't know that.

    Will 12:02

    He's done two things. He's founded the company, and then he failed the company. So I don't think that was enough to say he's a good fellow.

    Rod 12:08

    No, I agree.

    Will 12:08

    He's not a good fellow.

    Rod 12:09

    I don't agree with what I said earlier. I retract all good German, and the tools of the company were impounded.

    Will 12:15

    Ah, why? bankrupt,

    Rod 12:17

    bankrupt. Getting back to the bank? Well, yeah, if not bankrupt, pretty rooted. Okay. Lots and lots of debt. Now, it's a lot of this stuff comes from the Mercedes Benz websites quite interesting. They have a lot of information. Carl was bailed out by an unexpected party. His fiancee,

    Will 12:30

    Oh, nice.

    Rod 12:31

    Two years before they got married in 1872. She used part of her dowry to help prop up the failing iron construction company. When he lost that company shortly after he moved on. And he use his fiance's continued support and business acumen to form a new venture. So in 1883, a few years later, he sets up Ben's and co raineesha, gas, motor and fabric. So the Ryan gas motor building factory. Again, very literal, except for the names. So the company apparently did a splendid business. And it gave Benz the financial security he needed to turn to his lifelong dream, creation of the first automobile.

    Will 13:10

    There you go, thought I had heard the name and sounds familiar. It's really familiar. I really thought maybe it was something there. his lifelong dream to create something that hadn't been created before the first one of them.

    Rod 13:22

    The first one will particularly it seems petrol driven. There are weird other versions of things we've talked about,

    Will 13:28

    Horse drawn carriages with, with various steam engines. Crazy. There's all kinds of, there's clearly there's clearly trains at this time, and it's not that different.

    Rod 13:39

    Well, look, I'd rather drive my car to work than my train, you know,

    Will 13:42

    that's rails versus roads. So you, theoretically, well know that there are cars, there are coal powered cars, or there have been coal powered cars. No, they shouldn't. But there have been coal powered cars.

    Rod 13:55

    Why is this Nissan so cheap. Last one, we got left the runs off.

    Will 13:59

    I just love the idea that you get the driver, and then the passenger has a job. That's, that's not a good one. You know, it's like when you're a 17 year old, you're driving with your mates and everyone's like shotgun. It's like, give it when you shot down here, you got to be shoveling the coal.

    Rod 14:13

    And if it rains, you also get to stick your arm out the window and move the wiper because that's how it's broken.

    Will 14:18

    I don't know if that why that's associated with coal. No, it's not just you can have a working wiper in your coal power

    Rod 14:23

    talking about your mates cars, you know, in the early days, it's always something dodgy wrong with them.

    Will 14:27

    Yeah, well, mine had the bullet holes in it.

    Rod 14:29

    That doesn't stop its function, but it's a fucking cool brag.

    Will 14:32

    It didn't stop it because you put it in yourself

    Rod 14:34

    so he set up their company. There was a number of failed attempts to create this car but there are a few models that started working so the model one very imaginatively named, as finished in December of 1885, single cylinder, two and a half horsepower, and three wire wheels.

    Will 14:49

    Wow, like bike wheels.

    Rod 14:53

    Yeah, and that's what I say a lot of the design was adapted from contemporary bicycle. Yeah, yeah.

    Will 14:56

    Because factoring bikes at the time booming going off, man. Let quadricycles Early models of cars for wheels bikes and then strap a motor to it.

    Rod 15:05

    Which What could possibly go wrong? I just love how flimsy they always look. It cracks me up every time old planes and old cars I just think Oh, Jesus. No. Old planes were made out of cloth and balsa wood.

    Will 15:18

    Yeah, but you can understand the idea of, okay, if it's gotten in the air, it's got to be light. Like we got to use the lightest material that we've got. And so and

    Rod 15:24

    to be fair, even today, if your plane hits the ground, and modern materials don't save you,

    Will 15:29

    I get the feeling though. If you crash a cloth and balsa wood plane, you're not hurt. You're sort of going through all of it like it like a in a movie. You know, when you crash through a set that is designed to crash through, you would crash through a plane that is made of balsa wood and cotton and go wow, that was comedically awesome.

    Rod 15:44

    But is this plane on the ground? Not going very fast?

    Will 15:48

    I'm assuming? I'm assuming it's going slower than walking speed sort of thing and

    Rod 15:52

    low enough that you could just jump off. Okay, I'm okay with that. So this car, they claim could reach a maximum of 25 miles per hour, but I think that's pretty smells like a stretch. Yeah. But for this he was he was granted the original patent for the motorcar in 1886.

    Will 16:07

    The whole thing? For the whole thing of the motorcar?

    Rod 16:10

    Supposedly, and there was some some sources called The Birth Certificate of the automobile, that payment that sounds like it, it's very romantic. And he probably had about 25 of these models. But you don't have its problems. Number one,

    Will 16:22

    what came after one? Was it two?

    Rod 16:25

    We'll get to two.

    Will 16:28

    Okay, now that's cool. It's it is very, well it's a penny farthing bicycle, you're strapped to a bike, an extra seat to

    Rod 16:35

    it's very steampunk too like, it's got all the coolness.

    Will 16:37

    And I can see the little boiler where you put the, I don't know, are we putting petrol in there or oil or something like growing the green like growing the groin sounds like a bad criminal? Believe me if it was legal to drive one of these things around on the street today?

    Rod 16:51

    I would go that's number three. We'll get to number three in a tick. Okay. But yeah, there as you'd expect, although the first one was extremely wire spokes and very good looks delicate. So number two, it was also a three wheeler but then was converted to four wheels. For testing purposes. It sounds like enough of a change that it should deserve its own model, I think so leave and we'll new model two. It also had axle pivot steering, which we all know is a way to steer.

    Will 17:19

    Yeah, what happens then

    Rod 17:21

    apparently is good. It was good at the moment. The axle, nice science communicator, you, you son of an engineer, you have an unfair advantage.

    Will 17:32

    I think I think maybe it's it's it's your mechanical knowledge that looks at anything mechanical and just goes well, that's spaghetti. Yeah.

    Rod 17:41

    Well, mechanical knowledge is second only to my ability to navigate and read maps. But then they only been one of those apparently. I don't know why. Then we get model three

    Will 17:52

    is gonna go model four or something like that.

    Rod 17:54

    So three he's very precise, man. Yeah, this is when it was really going off and this was the first saleable car apparently

    Will 18:01

    So they put this one to market

    Rod 18:03

    it gets there he built quite a few but firstly, there was only had three prototypes, but yeah, it was a wooden spoke back wheels. The front wheel had solid rubber tire, which is not a bad thing. The wheelbase, so was basically nearly is about 1.6 meters long, and it was 1.25 meters wide. So it's kind of not huge, but big enough, I guess. You get three people in it. And he ended up eventually selling a small series of these and you could get a lot a few like sick mods. Like you could have a folding roof or an extra seat. I know not quite an extra seat go in the car.

    Will 18:36

    How do you fit it in?

    Rod 18:37

    You reconfigure,

    Will 18:38

    alright, cool. I want to know what other upgrades you can get.

    Rod 18:43

    There weren't many. Definitely plus trim,

    Will 18:47

    upgrade the stereo and eight track stereo something.

    Rod 18:50

    Upgrade your band. Your car band was in a little steam driven train

    Will 18:53

    and have something pulled behind you? Yeah, it's just one guy in a sousaphone. That is not the noise of a sousaphone. No signs of big trumpet tuba. I'm thinking of the wraparound tuba Joby, which I'm imagining is the noise that you want. You're driving around rural Germany. Definitely. It's probably a four wheeled car.

    Rod 19:14

    Yeah, exactly. It's all polkas.

    Will 19:16

    Exactly. And so when you're coming into town, you have a polka music driving before your

    Rod 19:20

    fancy cars also featured and accordionist

    Will 19:23

    Yeah, okay. Well, I wasn't splurging that much. No, I'm just getting a walking sousaphone guy. You

    Rod 19:29

    I want the accordion.

    Will 19:30

    Yeah, I get it. You're a fancy guy.

    Rod 19:31

    I am when these these bad boys first made their way into the public eye. However, the reception was not super exuberant.

    Will 19:39

    People didn't care or people were angry.

    Rod 19:41

    Well, I think they were more like meh.

    Will 19:42

    Okay, a lot of people wouldn't have known. Yeah, that's just the thing. Yeah.

    Rod 19:46

    But also, I'll get to this in a moment. Some of the demos went better than others. No. Yeah, I know. Hard to believe. So selling these bugs was not it was not like you're laid down Maziar look, I've got a car and everyone went fuck you. I need a car. Yeah, they did not. So some sources Tribute the ultimate success of his car and the company that followed to the smarketing smarts of the prison guy called Emil Hosea, who set up the first sales office overseas in London in fact, and it was the apparently this car was the first gasoline powered private car sold in England. And that's all great like you're gonna die. But what this ignores is part of the account that doesn't talk about the real first marketing effort. They kick this whole thing off. Yes. And that was because of his wife's can do Moxie and attitude. Why did she do for Robins? What was her name? Better? Better save Cecilia better ringer originally? So she was born in 1849. Imports fine. We all know four times beautiful, beautiful is renowned for its

    Will 20:43

    I don't know why you say these things. I don't know why you say you should look it up or not.

    Rod 20:48

    I did. You're not convinced? cake stands, historic and modern. She was the daughter of Augustus Frederick and Karl Friedrich ringer.

    Will 20:58

    They both had the middle name Frederick.

    Rod 21:00

    No, the wife's name surname was Frederick. And the husband's middle name was Frederick. Obviously. She was a third of nine kids, nine kids.

    Will 21:10

    That was the thing back then. Yeah, that was the sport you get bored. You have another kid

    Rod 21:14

    that was the sport. Squeeze out another one and see what happens. So father was a carpenter and a master builder and their family was considered pretty damn wealthy. So all the children including the daughters, shock horror were very well educated. But there was also described as ambitious, curious, with an alert mind and a great interest in technological innovations.

    Will 21:34

    I get it. She's looking for a husband who's gonna make the first automobile build me a car, probably thinking that beforehand. I want to marry the first automobile maker.

    Rod 21:41

    So she met Carl during an excursion organized by the social club called ain Trust, which apparently means unity. This is our social club unity. Doesn't smell good.

    Will 21:53

    it could be a lot worse. Yeah, as we know, social clubs in that part of the world have gone pretty bad.

    Rod 21:58

    Their reputation changed over a few years,

    Will 22:01

    that one might not have been that bad. Maybe they just take walks to

    Rod 22:03

    call Unity. This is about 1869 1870 They met they fell in love. They soon started making big plans for their wedding. So they both agreed though they didn't want to stay in full time even though even though the cake stands. So Carl set up a shop in Mannheim. And after their wedding, Bertha was supposed to join him as soon as he could get his company going, Well,

    Will 22:23

    that's all of these weddings back then it's like, well, let's get married. Now I've got to go off and set myself up. You stay with your parents for a while. Yep, you want to set yourself up beforehand or just go together and, and work it out as you go along?

    Rod 22:34

    so modern. They're not the problem was that setting up phase was when he started hanging out with his buddy Ritter who fucked up the regional company then not good guy. Yeah. So this is a point where bear to persuade her father not only to pay the dowry before the wedding, but also an advance on her inheritance so that he could buy out return. Okay, get rolling. So they get married 1872 They rented a home in Mannheim, but call soon started to make a bit of money. Built in their own apartment. They had a couple of rooms and a kitchen that was all strapped on to the workshop. Sounds lovely. Then their first son Eugene was born and they were deeply in debt.

    Will 23:11

    Sure, I get it. I get it. And test I've heard setting up a car company is not it's not cheap. This world ever

    Rod 23:16

    cost hundreds. for the next 15 years basically dominated by financial problems up and down. He always needed more money. The workshop equipment was expensive. His inventions weren't always immediately lucrative. This didn't stop him having four more kids along the way. Now the boy and three girls,

    Will 23:32

    it's the sport as I said,

    Rod 23:34

    Yeah, we're poor. Let's baby.

    Will 23:36

    Well, he's had a hard day. They've had a hard day doing technological progress. Yes, in the workshop. Yes. And they go to the bedroom above the workshop and let's let's have some biological progress.

    Rod 23:45

    Put a baby in your TomTom in 1877 they're forced to sell the workshop and all its equipment now shit, which is a bummer. Yeah. But despite all this, Berta would stand by the husband furiously and vigorously and often literally in the workshop, so she'd hang out with him. And they would discuss technical stuff. And Berta would get more and more technically adept. And witnesses at the time around this period. Anyway, she knew probably at least as much, if not more about the engines than he did. They say nearly as much but I suspect

    Will 24:14

    because let's let's just see, they both know more than you and me. I'm going to happily assume that and probably both knew a fair bit if they're together inventing a car.

    Rod 24:23

    So in 1878 year later, he was fiddling with his latest invention, a car driving machine thing for commercial use. That's what they didn't call it. It was, you know, of course the horseless carriage. There are many teething problems but Belters determination and talent, drive him she was very, very strong about this.

    Will 24:39

    What'd she do?

    Rod 24:39

    She pushed?

    Will 24:41

    Her talent is pushing

    Rod 24:42

    her talent is not only pushing, okay, how do you categorize?

    Will 24:45

    No, I'm just asking what her talent is. And you said pushed

    Rod 24:48

    so she would with things like technical implementation, so she would offer him ideas go What about if you tweak the spreads of valve and put a new Stickler in it? Boom. Direct quote, from technically of the Model Zero Point five went on New Year's Eve. So a year later, after the two years after they sold a bunch of stuff, and then he was fiddling with these things. New Year's Eve 1879. The two stroke engine they've been working on suddenly starts to work news even less it is better than the bills. The two stroke engine goes. There is no car at the moment is an engine. I get it. It's cool. Yeah, to strike. It was works, which is great. But then 1882 Shortly after the birth of their fourth child, they're in financial stop again, which is a bummer. So this led to them founding a Mannheim petrol engine factory with some other partners, folks who actually had money, okay, Ben's fill out with them. Within months,

    Will 25:39

    all right, that seems to be to two collaborators has fallen out with sales seems good with his wife. Yeah. So technological innovation and making babies. But he doesn't seem to work well with other partners that he's not married to

    Rod 25:50

    Well, apparently, they didn't share the automotive vision.

    Will 25:52

    Or maybe he can collaborate well, if he has sex and babies with them. So maybe that's what he should be doing. So the mistake I'm making, that's, that's, that might be the mistake, you need to you need to make sure your collaboration goes all the way seal the deal properly. And then you can have a melding of minds

    Rod 26:09

    for any of you budding entrepreneurs, inventors out there who are wondering why it's not quite working, banger partners.

    Will 26:15

    Maybe, maybe it's it's just an option. It's just an option.

    Rod 26:20

    It's an option. It's true and should always be on the table. So once again, after this, three months later, the family had nothing. That was 82. In 1883, he set up the bins and see see ice I don't know I assume that short for something and CA bends ncie but it's spelt like a word that raineesha gas motor fabric and man I'm so the Ryan gas motor fabric between Mannheim with the new partners. off he went developing his car by 1885. He had the model one and he's trying to get them out in public. So this is the sort of we're in built to start to coincide it. The first few displays of his invention went bad. so they break down they won't start at all steering would fail

    Will 27:01

    his yet gets them out in the street. And he throws a golf ball at it to say it's got indestructible spokes, and it has destructible spokes, why? Something like that? Well, how

    Rod 27:10

    about watch this start? This is a machine that works.

    Will 27:16

    Look, there is a long history of engineering companies doing tech demos, and things going beautifully or things going not beautiful. Yes.

    Rod 27:23

    And this is the beginning of that. Well, the beginning of the vehicle industry. Also the sources that say there was one where he was demonstrating it with birth in the passenger seat. And when our control hit a wall.

    Will 27:34

    No, but look, I'm going to drive a pregnant lady towards the wall. Does it have brakes or not? I have an engineer that bid yet.

    Rod 27:39

    That'd be fine. And to be fair, I didn't know she was pregnant then she might have been between the births. bystanders were freaked out the local press reported on the invention but they weren't psyched about it. They're like this thing exists. And this guy ran his wife into a wall and local crack but does something in his exactly, that isn't a horse. It wasn't considered suitable for practical use. So even though we had the first patent for this new mega beast, it was met with huge skepticism. And it didn't help the car was also described as meticulous patient and conservative and prone to bouts of self doubt and depression. He also doubted that it was ever going to be much practical use either. So he was like Man, what's the point

    Will 28:16

    but he keeps going? What is what is making him keep going if he he doubts he can do it? He doubts it's it's of any use. But still, I'll do it. She wanted a car

    Rod 28:26

    she wanted. She's gonna go and get the kids from swimming lessons. Yeah, exactly. in Mannheim,

    Will 28:32

    they will have their towels they'll need to sit somewhere can't sit on a horse. No. After their swimming lessons. Not all three

    Rod 28:37

    of them. That's ridiculous. So it didn't go that well. But she would disagree with him whenever he said it wasn't going to work. And she would repeatedly speak out really strongly in public against all the doubters like no, we can do this. He can do this. Yeah, it can all be done. This is doable. He's doing it we're doing it's doable. Also, apparently, as a marketer, Carl made a really good engineer. So whenever something went wrong, he'd retreat into his factory and just tinker with stuff and never tell anyone he didn't want to didn't want it to see the light of day unless he thought it was perfect. Bertha on the other hand went no screw that we need to win public trust. And she was also acutely aware a few miles away. Another German engineer Gottlieb Daimler.

    Will 29:16

    Oh my god, I've heard of that name.

    Rod 29:17

    You have the Gottlieb luxery vehicles. He'd invented horseless carriages. Well, and it was the world's first four wheeled, high speed automobile. So in 1888, she was frustrated by her husband's apparent unwillingness to act on his own. So she took matters into her own hands. She do. She listened to this message, Bertha took a trip. And what follows that I'm gonna what I'm gonna tell you now was introduced by Wired magazine is not just the first documented road trip in an automobile but also a trip that included the first road repairs the first automotive marketing stunt, the first case of a wife borrowing her husband's car without asking and the first violation of intercity highway laws in a motor vehicle.

    Will 30:03

    It's a lot of a checklist. it's quite fun.

    Rod 30:06

    Yeah, until this point, apparently, according to some sources, they've been cars and car trips, etc. But most of those were steam vehicles, or they were multi passenger sort of weird bus arrangements pulled by horses, contraptions, but there wasn't this privately run.

    Will 30:21

    So there weren't there weren't contraptions on the road. And so we've got we've got horses and carriages pulling horses, but there's still other things. steam sounds pretty close to like a motor,

    Rod 30:32

    but not everywhere like that. I don't think like a common and no one tended to sort of take them on a trip. No, no, the family didn't have their steam driven horse networks and just take it for Drive. So the idea of this private car thing was just the way this this article in Jalopnik puts it. The idea of a private car, especially a petroleum car used to take a private road trip in 1888 was basically how we think of taking a teleporter trip today. Okay. Now, I think that's a little extreme. But I get their point.

    Will 31:00

    No. Well, yeah. Okay. I'm with you. I think seeing as you could probably take a horse and carriage to take your road trip. Yeah, the idea of deleting the horse. And then using some sort of science to drive you doesn't sound that out of control. Particularly there's trains at the time. So the idea to think some mechanical energy,

    Rod 31:21

    you could have yourself though, the weird thing is,

    Will 31:23

    wow, okay, I get it. I get it.

    Rod 31:27

    You know how you have a fax machine in your house in the past, you would have had to go to a post office for that.

    Will 31:31

    I know. I know. And I know that computers, you know, took up entire city blocks 50 years ago, Hong Kong and the idea that you could possibly have a computer smaller than your house. Yes. Just blew people's mind. But it wouldn't have been that hard to imagine. Okay, we could do that. We can combine train and carriage

    Rod 31:50

    and remove horse. There you go. Yeah, I think it was a bit of an extreme call. Also, teleportation brings in questions about what it means to be alive and where your soul goes. Whereas I don't think cars do. That doesn't. That's another story. So it's the school holidays, August 1888. Bouncer quietly roused her two sons, nice teenagers Yujin and Richard and said, I got a plan. We're gonna go and visit my mum in full time. 56 miles away. Okay. Not a small trip. No. And we're going to take the model three to do it. Car was still asleep. So she left a note on the kitchen table. Some people call it they said it was an openly worded message that she was on her way to full time.

    Will 32:34

    Nice. So she didn't say I've taken the model three. I'm just I'm just gone. Who knows what I've done.

    Rod 32:40

    I'm going to I'm off to see mumsy with the boys.

    Will 32:44

    It doesn't hurt to tell your husband or wife when you're leaving for the day.

    Rod 32:49

    No. And she did. She did. She said I'm going to put time. Our deepest he has sleeper very, he's renowned for it. It's the only other thing he's famous for the cars and the depth of his Schlaf. He didn't know she'd taken the car until he noticed one of the three prototype model threes, which are probably wildly expensive, was gone. He thought they're not traveling by train. They've taken my vehicle. So better and the boys quietly make their way into the factory in the early morning. And as wired notes when an early bends started, early bends engine, the engine, thump thump sneeze frumps to life with a cacophony of ringing gears. Yes, and I'm guessing there's there's noise here flattering insanity.

    Will 33:35

    And you throw a sousaphone in as well.

    Rod 33:39

    although they can't play until the engine starts. Okay, that started early. Because that's when the drip filtered food

    Will 33:44

    and the kids probably don't want sousaphone music. something cool

    Rod 33:48

    modern like a violin. I was not bags or a small trumpet there apparently lots of small caliber pops frantic shaking and the steady throb of primeval power. All while a mist of oil sprayed and partly bird fuel forms over the machinery is beautiful, loud cluttery and stinky shit.

    Will 34:07

    How does it not sell itself? I don't know. Is it nuts? I don't I mean, who isn't thinking you know what? I don't like horse farts. But now I want to get covered in a mist of oil as I drive.

    Rod 34:17

    Yeah, I wanted to burn on me. And also I mean I don't even need the car. I just want the engine. I just want one of those things around. So that's why they quietly pushed the vehicle out of the workshop first it didn't start until it was quite aways from the house. So they apparently the single cylinder 1.6 liter engine they started that by turning the horizontal flywheel I mean that's that would have been my go to as

    Will 34:38

    well that's how I would I would turn the keys first then that but yeah,

    Rod 34:41

    so the trip proved challenging. For a few reasons. One Directions. Once they finally got into the car got it rolling. They realized they didn't know how to get to four time.

    Will 34:51

    She hadn't been there before. It's her mom's house not not by road. She hadn't been like in a carriage or something. Okay, train was standard trains good trains.

    Rod 34:59

    It's on I went okay, what places do we know they stuck with the places they initially knew and they went towards vine home. We all know vine. I'm famous for paper towels.

    Will 35:07

    I need a map. Now just give me a map.

    Rod 35:09

    I know what a map is. I'm invited home and then headed south to Vice law, which gets us to the fueling station. Yes, so finding a leak ruin which is also known as heavy NAPFA. It's part of the petroleum family and apparently used today as barteri. solvent. Okay, sweet. Finding supplies is really important because there's no petrol tank, you basically had four and a half liters of goo in the carburetor. And once that's gone,

    Will 35:34

    how long is that going to last? What are we doing miles per gallon? Or

    Rod 35:37

    I couldn't find? I couldn't find it. But not not You're not doing the whole 59 mile one directional thing. I'm guessing that yeah, you need a bit more. So Ligurian was available from chemists back then, and the town pharmacy and Vizsla was able to help. So they basically made them the first they get actual station.

    Will 35:55

    So privately unsaved people what are people selling it for? Before cars cleaning, you can choose teeth, no prophecy and get a couple of liters as you go here.

    Rod 36:05

    And along the way further on those drops into a few other places and did the same thing. So that's that's that. So if you always a problem to solve directions, overheating, apparently, cooling the engine was probably even more tricky than finding fuel because I like this. The engine was cooled using the evaporation of water according to the thermo isoform or thermo siphon system, which is I know, you know, but others may not. Yeah, it's a method of passive heat exchange, based on natural convection, which circulates a fluid without the necessity of a mechanical pump. Okay, so I think the literal version was you had to chuck water on the engine regular

    Will 36:40

    light sounds like it circulates a fluid I was I was imagining the kids in the back have to have to shovel some water in it. It sounds like there's a slight system here isn't there

    Rod 36:48

    little bits and pieces that I read suggested that you've just basically splash water on. It could be some somewhere between the A thermos of fun. And my method is probably the truth. So they basically had to talk about the water wherever they could, at pubs, streams, water out of a ditch, like wherever they could grab, okay. They also at one point, the drive train broke and they've melted.

    Will 37:08

    Did they trial any distance before they did?

    Rod 37:11

    The first I read was about 6k.

    Will 37:14

    Okay. All right. So they've been a lap around the village sort of thing at best.

    Rod 37:17

    Yeah. And I might be doing them an over service there. So that they found a blacksmith to fix that. The terrain, the roads weren't quite as roady as they are. And I'm guessing not and they weren't built for wooden spoked wheel things. So it's a bit rough.

    Will 37:33

    How rough are we talking? There are roads though that you can fit

    Rod 37:36

    there. Yeah, they're stuff that you put wagons on and Yeah, exactly. Yeah. It wasn't like they're going through the void. They were Yeah. But apparently so once you get out of vise look the first to the gas station, they wander out of the Rhine Valley into the hills. The one cylinder engine had an output of about two and a half horsepower. It got up to a princely 500 rpm. Had two gears and they were not enough to get up the hills. I'm guessing not. So her sons would often have to get out and push. That's why she brought them Yes, children as work for mind you

    Will 38:08

    if she didn't bring them maybe she wouldn't have to push a little.

    Rod 38:11

    I think the car I think weighed 360 kilograms. It's not a lie piece of work. So near the village of Ville flooding in which of course means wolf penis. No, it had very steep hills. They got really tight and they were too young farmhands watching it first they were like, What in the living shit is this? And finally went, Okay, not monsters will give them a hand and they pushed. And of course, when you went up the hill, you didn't have the delight of going down some

    Will 38:35

    breaks today just on breaks on this. tires and brakes.

    Rod 38:39

    They never had punctures, because the real wheels had iron rings around them and the front cars, solid rubber cement puncher. But bonus, no ties are great brakes, the shoe brake which was operated by hand lever at the side of the vehicle, and he basically screws it on. Yep. To slow down 360 kilos of vehicle going downhill. It's made of wood. All right. I read that and went. So when they failed, which they did, which they did, she stops in to a cobbler in one of the villages and says I want you to learn these with leather so she invented brake linings are you serious on the trip? Yeah wow that's awesome fender brake line it goes to a compass Wacom with a leather on these leather is going to be better than wood. Oh my god, like anything? Yeah.

    Will 39:27

    I mean, just not did she have a bad experience before she was going down the hill. I mean, she managed they managed to

    Rod 39:34

    snow and got hurt the car didn't get crushed anything so like it it kept on going. There are other issues so the Midway the car broke down for other reasons. Instead of freaking out she goes alright, how can I fix this? She used her hat pin to clear a block fuel line. Nice. And when an ignition wire needed some insulation I seem burned out or rubbed out. She used one of her garters and wrapped it around it that is very innovative. Yeah. So she was his body and resourceful a guy Yep. inventing shaders she went so they reached for time at dusk on that day so that the trip they made it did it in one day. They didn't want that nice while so she did eventually keep curl up to date by sending a couple of telegrams and of course we're here to text message. Yeah, exactly. All right, love.

    Will 40:15

    I'm out here just taking the boys

    Rod 40:17

    took the car for draft I haven't left you one source notes. None of the telegrams still exists today. We don't know what the exactly said. But the press have already gotten wind of it because of eye witnessed reports so resonance in the villages are like what the fuck is that something's going on. There's something going farmhands.

    Will 40:30

    They get around that farmhands, and obviously, newspaper boys, yes, and the milkmaids.

    Rod 40:34

    And the juggler is the rolling minstrels, a lot of those for time was famous for it. Most of them were quite amazed by the car and how it happened to work. Although some freaked out for a while they were particularly freaked out not only by the car, but it was being driven by a woman.

    Will 40:49

    Did they really freak out? Did they really freak out?

    Rod 40:51

    I wasn't there. I'm relying on secondary.

    Will 40:54

    I know that we have talked a lot about 19th century people, 18th century people being astounded by by things like women's rights. But seeing someone in a carriage that's moving by itself, I get it, you go wow, that's that's I don't

    Rod 41:06

    think they're falling to the ground screaming my God, it's Judgment Day. I think it was just more like that seems super dangerous and loud. They may have not heard anything other than

    Will 41:14

    I'm guessing it wasn't going at 25 miles an hour. Very often.

    Rod 41:17

    I'm thinking maybe never except downhill when it probably shouldn't have.

    Will 41:20

    I'm guessing they're thinking. It's noisy and weird. And it's not my thing that now I'm guessing they're not thinking it's the most scary thing in the world.

    Rod 41:29

    Like, it's not like I took it into a 10th century village. And they went, it's Satan among us. As far as I'm aware.

    Will 41:34

    I just think most radically new things we expect, you know that you see these time travel movies, and you think people are going to be gobsmacked. And they I think most of the time people will go, I haven't seen that before. That's, that's interesting. That's pretty cool. Partly because, you know, we in the world, you know, what do they say? The future is here. It's just unevenly distributed. And I think there's one there's a whole bunch of stuff where you go to Tokyo and you go, Oh, that's cool. We haven't got that here in Lowell, Australia. Yeah. And you go, Huh, there you go.

    Rod 42:02

    I remember exactly that my first time in Tokyo like 2001. They were selling in these electronics stores. These little cameras that you can put like on your on your wrist like a watch. And we're like, whoa, so James Bond, not like what is this satanic magic?

    Will 42:15

    No, exactly. People and I get that. That's not it's just one step above. I think people aren't always astounded. They're like, Oh, that's cool.

    Rod 42:24

    But according to these reputable sources, sorry. Some were not all. They didn't say everyone was renting their hair tearing it their dresses. The baby What does it beating their breasts. So a few days later, they hung out with Mama Beltre for a while and then they headed back to Mannheim, they took a more direct route.

    Will 42:41

    Why did they take the direct route before? I don't know, why didn't they? I know you said they got lost and there wasn't a good map and that and the highways weren't highways. But why didn't they take the direct route?

    Rod 42:52

    I don't know. It may not have occurred.

    Will 42:55

    Let's let's see my road trip ever. On a difficult scenic route

    Rod 43:02

    it went smoothly. Everything worked out the round trip was about 180 kilometers when you add it all up. And it really paid off this marketing exercise super paid off. So there's obviously technical developments, like the brake pads, the hat pin,

    Will 43:16

    and we're going to need maps, cooling, and we're going to need some muesli bars for the trip.

    Rod 43:21

    She also suggested adding a low gear for hill climbing. she also demonstrated to the now fledgling motor industry that test drives were kind of essential.

    Will 43:30

    Yeah, yeah, it will work but just for display this is that's that's what you should do with it. If you want your basic show it off model people have always wanted to show it off model.

    Rod 43:39

    Oh, yeah, that's where you get your folding roof and your extra seat with a fancy often. Accordion your accordion your Yeah, the strapped to the front of the car Mad Max style. That'd be awesome. Dude in plus, for a leader who isn't playing his accordion,

    Will 43:52

    you can do that, you know, bringing smiles and you say that'd be awesome. But you know, you could do it if you want.

    Rod 43:57

    I'd have to find the dude who's willing will do that. If I'm going to abduct someone to do something terrifying.

    Will 44:03

    You don't have to abduct. Do this with consent. I don't know why we're abducting here. You could find someone who consents to go on the front of your car playing an accordion?

    Rod 44:11

    I mean, wouldn't that take more time?

    Will 44:13

    No, it wouldn't. I really wouldn't. I would really wouldn't. You could you could send out a message and say, I'm looking to recreate

    Rod 44:19

    by this point. I've already grabbed someone before I've even gotten a reply. How did you find a good accordion player though?

    Will 44:24

    You're not so good. You're gonna get a terrible player if you're just

    Rod 44:27

    banging their hands on intera. So now the good thing was car started to look accessible and maybe even useful people going, Oh, hang on a minute. Maybe we can use this thing. And so the success that they were hoping for finally started to

    Will 44:38

    pay off. Finally, I have a way to take my teenage sons to my mother's house

    Rod 44:41

    yes. And swimming training and to look at the delightful kickstands full time.

    Will 44:45

    She was already there. She didn't need to go. Not all the times. You could have walked

    Rod 44:49

    And she's like, I miss my cakes. I guess Fair enough. I left one at my mother's house. Boys pop over there. So the model three became the first automobile to be sold in the Little production runs mass produced or minor produced the company moved to new digs the family got a bit more space. By the time the youngest was born two years later at 90 test drives for their newly developed cars with like the standard family sort of outing. And often any of the kids might have a crack at the wheel daughters sons age unlimited.

    Will 45:18

    Why would you not though? have a drive.

    Rod 45:23

    You're 4, sit on my lap and drive.

    Will 45:24

    it's gonna be fun. What's the worst that could happen?

    Rod 45:27

    They've proven you can run into a wall and live so I don't see.

    Will 45:29

    I don't know. I think there should be more kids sitting on your lap driving your car

    Rod 45:32

    more other than just you and your two. I put my dogs on my lap that's the same isn't it? Yeah, that's fine. Let them steer a little bit but never get in the way. But it never overreact.

    Will 45:41

    I don't see the problem. You just put a speed limit on you say not above 180

    Rod 45:47

    You can do one if you can make your car drive literally at one kilometer an hour then your kid can drive it

    Will 45:52

    there are nice footages what's the it's the gorillas driving golf carts driving quite well. Driving quite well. Oh, is it a regular show as a whole trip right in the middle bit animals can drive I'm sure they can there's turtles driving skateboards doesn't really count.

    Rod 46:08

    I can move my leg so within a decade the bends and see became the world's largest automobile company I 400 full time staff and selling 600 vehicles a year so they go out there to stories build as a testament to the often ignored dismissed etcetera roles of women in automotive history will place on unlike these podcasts where we don't have a beer I lose my ability to speak it's just wrong . Carr says she was more daring than I and took a decisive step in the further development of the motor vehicle. So the washed up on this was at the time not only was she considered the she took the first road trip she was also because of all the stuff she did along the way. Arguably the first motor mechanic. Yes, because she just got sorted. It does sound like Carl was the mechanic before he was the maker but she was like the 1960s

    Will 47:00

    Okay, she's the first one first consumer fix your own car person.

    Rod 47:05

    But yeah, that'd be mean to builder.

    Will 47:08

    I'm not I'm so I'm so why are you pulling more memory? I'm supportive. I'm just saying that Carl was also a mechanic here.

    Rod 47:13

    It's an engineer. They're fans. All right. Also, apparently a few days before she took her trip. Car got the first driving license in the world, from the Grand ducal Budish district office.

    Will 47:25

    I was wondering, are they licensed or not at the time?

    Rod 47:29

    Well, Carl, well, she wasn't. There was your naughty, you know, interstate and regulation, whatever. I don't think people were really too worried about licenses given there weren't cars well, and the police couldn't catch him. If it had been today. She would have had a name all over many of these patents but because she was a woman and married to a man etc. She brought the money she brought the drive a lot of the technical stuff, which couldn't have a name on any of the patents. It was a bit shit. Anyway, Carl died in 1929. And apparently then she started to receive a lot more attention on her 95th birthday she was made an honorary senator of the Technical University of Karlsruhe. And she was very excited apparently about this. So excited. She died two days later,

    Will 48:08

    but on her 95th birthday, you could have done it early.

    Rod 48:11

    Yeah, let's wait to the nearly the Queen's age. Hey, acknowledged.

    Will 48:16

    It's nice to acknowledge but there are many years. It's but it's not like she has done her big contributions at the age of 94. And people go, Oh, shit, get this lady involved. I'm assuming her contributions happen decades.

    Rod 48:28

    I was waiting to see if you're gonna do anything better. Oh, no. 95 All right, bugger it. That's

    Will 48:32

    it, you've done.

    Rod 48:34

    And when I first started reading some of the Mercedes links and all these links are in the show notes. They seemed a little bit to not talk much about her in the story is broken up into many elements. And at first I was thinking you jerks but then I was wrong. They actually acknowledged her very clearly they call her the woman behind the automotive revolution. And there's some nice quotes about it. So Bertha Benz about bends was strong willed energetic woman who played a subordinate role in the patriarchal society of the German Empire in appearance only, only only in appearance because in reality, yes, she wasn't doing that. She was Trailblazer. She was a trailblazer. She encouraged her often self doubting, obstinate and sullen husband Cobbins in her unique way, pushing him to continue time and time again after setbacks and stood by him for nearly 60 years. She was a woman who shared her husband's far reaching technical visions completely and made many sacrifices as a result. And finally, without better Benz, there would never have been a Ben's company in Mannheim, I believe that, oh, it's very difficult not to believe so I'm glad they actually step up and say you got to look for it. You got to be looking for better to find this car and his memoirs described her as only one person remained with me in the small ship of life where it seemed destined to seek. That was my wife Bravely and resolutely she set the new sales of he acknowledged her to I didn't get any impression that he was addicted to her or that he wouldn't give her credit when she took the car, and he wasn't addicted to them. And so nowadays, if If you want to people still drive the Bertha Benz Memorial route, and it goes past that Vice lock area and the building still there where she got the legroom. I think it may still be a pharmacy but I'm not 100% So awesome. Yeah. So you can go and drive it go to Germany. We should do that. And we'll record it. We'll do it on Monday.

Brianna Ansaldo
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