Back in 1888, and despite any technical improvements, the first - custom-made - automobile of the pioneering German engineer Karl Benz have not received a great response from the public, which remained cautious, considering these vehicles unreliable. And the price, anyway, was prohibitive for the overwhelming majority, as it cost 8,500 gold marks. Moreover, people believed that these strange contraptions were driven by mysterious and diabolic forces...
At that time, a conservative man like Benz had doubts about his invention. Then, his wife, Bertha Ringer (1849-1944), an excellent engineer and perfectionist, came up with something very clever and innovative that would convince even the most skeptical that the automobile was here to stay. It was August 5, 1888, when Mrs. Ringer placed her two children into the car and decided to visit her mother, who lived 100 kilometers away...
It was the first time someone would dare to make such a long journey, as until then the distances covered were very short, usually experimental, and always with the presence of an engineer. Her goal, of course, was not so much to visit her mother but to convince her husband, who had failed to approach the wealthy, that the car would catch on in the market only when people perceived its usefulness with their own eyes.
The daring lady set off incognito on the morning of August 5th and after many adventures managed to reach her destination by evening. Then she sent a telegram to her husband to tell him the news and even suggest some improvements that needed to be made. That day, those who happened to cross her path saw with surprise and fear the notorious and noisy horseless carriage, which passed in front of them with a... female driver (and two children).
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As expected, the incredible adventure spread through word of mouth throughout almost the entire country, exactly as Mrs. Ringer intended, who proved to be a genius in marketing and public relations. Everyone wondered how on earth a woman alone could drive for 100 kilometers on such rough roads.
Thanks to the publicity generated, Benz's cars, although simple in their construction and primitive compared to those that would be built just a few years later, became famous, and so his business eventually managed to survive and prosper (in 1926 his company merged with Daimler and would be named Mercedes).