1888 bertha benz made the first long distance automobile trip dr 08 05
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1888 138 years ago Selected Events August 5 4 sources

Bertha Benz made the first long-distance automobile trip, driving 106 km (66 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in a Benz Patent-Motorwagen.

On August 5, in the year 1888, Bertha Benz made the first long-distance automobile trip, driving 106 km (66 mi) from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany, in a Benz Patent-Motorwagen. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of August 5, one of 464 recorded events on this date across all of history.

Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer. She was the business partner, investor and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined automobile over a long distance, field testing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, inventing brake lining and solving several practical issues during the journey of 105 km. In doing so, she brought the Patent-Motorwagen worldwide attention and got their company its first sales. Bertha Benz was not allowed to study in the Grand Duchy of Baden, and her financial and practical engineering contributions have long been overlooked until the 21st century.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on August 5, 1888 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 11 July 2026.

On This Date in History 464

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Notable Deaths 2019 Aug 5 Toni Morrison, American author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Nobel laureate (born 1931).
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Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Harold J. Greene, American general (born 1962)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Vladimir Orlov, Russian author (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Chapman Pincher, Indian-English historian, journalist, and author (born 1914)
Notable Deaths 2014 Aug 5 Jesse Leonard Steinfeld, American physician and academic, 11th Surgeon General of the United States (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Ruth Asawa, American sculptor and educator (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Shawn Burr, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1966)
Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Willie Dunn, Canadian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1942)
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Notable Deaths 2013 Aug 5 Rob Wyda, American commander and judge (born 1959)
Selected Events 2013 Aug 5 A python killed two boys in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada.
Historical Events 2012 Aug 5 The Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting took place in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six victims; the perpetrator committed…
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Erwin Axer, Polish director and screenwriter (born 1917)
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Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Fred Matua, American football player (born 1984)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Martin E. Segal, Russian-American businessman, co-founded Film Society of Lincoln Center (born 1916)
Notable Deaths 2012 Aug 5 Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (born 1919)
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Selected Events 2012 Aug 5 An American white supremacist carried out a mass shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing six people…
Notable Deaths 2011 Aug 5 Andrzej Lepper, Polish farmer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Poland (born 1954)
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Selected Events 2011 Aug 5 NASA launched the Juno probe to Jupiter as part of the New Frontiers program.
Historical Events 2010 Aug 5 The Copiapó mining accident occurs, trapping 33 Chilean miners approximately 2,300 ft (700 m) below the ground for 69…
Historical Events 2010 Aug 5 Ten members of International Assistance Mission Nuristan Eye Camp team are killed by persons unknown in Kuran wa…
Notable Deaths 2009 Aug 5 Budd Schulberg, American author, screenwriter, and producer (born 1914)
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Notable Births 2008 Aug 5 Hudson Meek, American actor (died 2024)
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Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 5 Jean-Marie Lustiger, French cardinal (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2007 Aug 5 Florian Pittiș, Romanian actor, singer, director, and producer (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 5 Polina Astakhova, Russian gymnast and coach (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2005 Aug 5 Jim O'Hora, American football player and coach (born 1915)

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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