Oct to Patty and Juliana - Bertha Benz

This is a direct appropriation off Pinterest - although I can't find the original image to give the designer credit. It's probably just as well, since the original is so much better than what I did. The only thing I got right was the wreath. 

Since I was out of tulip stamps, I wondered if a gray-scale version would look nice. I botched it. The wreath is wimpy. I think I enclosed a note that I would not be including it on the blog - but it might be OK to run the two for comparison.

I have some stamps to share. This one, from Germany is honoring Bertha Benz, wife of automobile inventor Karl Benz, played a pivotal role in the history of automotive transportation with a groundbreaking journey of approximately 66 miles in 1888.

It is a great story - part of which I have copy&pasted from the website:  

Determined to showcase her husband’s invention, she embarked on an automobile journey from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany without his knowledge. The journey tested both her determination and the capabilities of the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.

During the trip of over 12 hours, Benz encountered rough terrain, equipment malfunctions and a lack of fuel stations. She resolved an issue with the ignition system by using a garter to insulate a wire, and she stopped at pharmacies for ligroin, a petroleum solvent used as fuel, when the vehicle’s supply ran low.

Despite the challenges, her journey was a resounding success, proving the viability of the automobile as a mode of transportation.

Benz was born May 3, 1849, and died May 5, 1944, two days after her 95th birthday.

*** 

The part where she *encountered a lack of fuel stations* cracked me up. Seems like something she might have considered before she took off. Her ability to resolve issues is impressive.

I do wonder, though, what *inspired* the trip. Did something happen where she had one of those - I-need-to-get-out-of-here-before-I-say-or-do-something-I'll-regret moments? Or maybe she was just eager to help her husband with his project. Either way, it's unexpected that a guy from that era would send his wife on a test drive. Unless - he needed some peace and quiet.

I'm sorry this is so long - but, I was proofing the post and got curious about whether there are any Benz family members in the news. I found a couple answers to my questions. From Wiki:

The world's first long distance automobile trip was undertaken by Bertha Benz using a Model 3. On the morning of 5 August 1888 Bertha – supposedly without the knowledge of her husband – took the vehicle on a 104 km (65 mi) trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother, taking her sons Eugen and Richard with her. In addition to having to locate pharmacies along the way to refuel, she repaired various technical and mechanical problems. One of these included the invention of brake lining; after some longer downhill slopes she ordered a shoemaker to nail leather onto the brake blocks. Bertha Benz and sons finally arrived at nightfall, announcing the achievement to Karl by telegram. It had been her intention to demonstrate the feasibility of using the Benz Motorwagen for travel and to generate publicity in the manner now referred to as live marketing. Today, the event is celebrated every two years in Germany with an antique automobile rally.