The Ford Model T produced by the Ford Motors in the early 20th century is widely regarded as the first affordable automobile in the world. However, not many know that it was Karl Benz, the founder of the Mercedes Benz who invented the first working car, the three-wheeled Motor Wagon Model 3.
The most interesting fact is that it was a woman who became the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance. Bertha Benz, an automobile pioneer and the wife of Karl Benz, in 1888, had driven the Motor Wagon Model 3 covering a distance of 106 kilometres. However, she had done it without the permission of her husband or authorities. In those days the German law prohibited a married woman to drive an automobile. She drove from Mannheim to Pforzheim, to prove that her husband had built a significant automotive which could be extremely successful if commercially produced.
Both Karl and Bertha had invested large amount of money in the automotive industry. The Mercedes Benz was founded jointly by Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler.
