Carl Benz was born on 25 November 1844 in Mühlburg. A German engineer and automobile pioneer, Benz built a single-cylinder petrol engine in the 1870s and 1880s, and in 1885 completed the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, a three-wheeled vehicle that is generally regarded as the first practical automobile. He received a patent for it in January 1886. In 1888 his wife, Bertha Benz, made the first long-distance journey by automobile, driving the car from Mannheim to Pforzheim without his knowledge, and showing the public that the new machines were reliable. His company, Benz and Cie, merged in 1926 with the company of Gottlieb Daimler to form Daimler-Benz, the maker of Mercedes-Benz cars.
Before and after
- 24 July 1844Birth of Ilya Repin
- 27 July 1844Death of John Dalton
- 15 October 1844Birth of Friedrich Nietzsche
- 23 October 1844Birth of Sarah Bernhardt
- 25 November 1844Birth of Carl Benz
- 21 December 1844Publication of The Snow Queen
- from 1845 to 1852Great Irish Famine
- 29 January 1845Publication of The Raven
- 26 February 1845Birth of Alexander III of Russia
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The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.