The Adventures of the World’s Very First Horseless Carriage

“Sssh, Richard!” whispered his mother as he bumped into a kitchen chair. “We don’t want to wake your father!” She finished writing a note to her husband and she tiptoed out to the garage with her two teenage sons, Eugen and Richard. “No horses for us today,” she said in satisfaction.

In those days, horses were the fastest - and only - type of transport for short journeys. Horses were used for everything! To visit towns for supplies, to pull carriages, to farm, and even for the fire department.

But horses were also very expensive and time-consuming. The food, the water, the veterinarian bills, and constantly cleaning up stinky manure was a normal part of life. Imagine the traffic, or the dangers of runaway horses and accidents!

Which is why Karl Benz invented the first horseless carriage. He was great at engineering and at inventing, but terrible at selling his invention. Many people thought his motor car was a cute, short-lived invention. One person, however, believed in it. His wife, Bertha Benz. She not only invested her money and later her dowry, but she also helped him in the garage on his prototypes.

“Let’s take the third model to test,” Bertha whispered to the boys. They nodded and the three pushed the slightly squeaking machine away from the house so they wouldn’t wake Karl. “Are you ready?” she asked, and they answered with huge grins.

“Mum, what an adventure we’ll have!” exclaimed Eugen in delight. They started the engine, and set out to visit Bertha’s mother in Pforzheim, one hundred and six kilometers away. She’d mapped their route as best as she could, with pharmacies and water on the way.

They would need pharmacies to refuel, because the motor car used…