This bonus episode is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. From a company built on the legacy, determination and inspiration of women, Mercedes-Benz and Encyclopedia Wommanica celebrate those driving change. All month, we’re talking about women in the driver's seat. Every Saturday this month we are sharing the stories of women who defied the odds to change the auto industry forever. For this first episode, we’re focusing on the beginning of the Mercedes Benz story, and two women who had an outsized impact in creating the brand we know today. Let’s talk about Bertha Benz and Mercedes Jellinek.
Happy Women's History Month! We're highlighting leaders who took charge and made lasting impacts on their industries.
This Women’s History Month, Encyclopedia Womannica is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz celebrates all women driving change and is indebted to those trailblazing women who punctuate the brand’s history like Bertha Benz and Ewy Rosquist. These women defied the odds to change the auto industry forever and Mercedes-Benz applauds the tenacity and courage it takes to pave the road ahead. Listen along this month as we share the stories of more inspiring women in charge and at the top of their fields — powered by Mercedes-Benz.
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Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan and this is Encyclopedia Womannica.
This bonus episode is brought to you by Mercedes-Benz. Every Saturday this month we are sharing the stories of women who defied the odds to change the auto industry forever. For this first episode, we’re focusing on the beginning of the Mercedes Benz story, and two women who had an outsized impact in creating the brand we know today. Let’s talk about Bertha Benz and Mercedes Jellinek.
Bertha Ringer was born on May 3, 1849 to a wealthy family in Pforzheim, Germany. Bertha was born into an era when women were largely denied access to higher education. But that didn’t stop Bertha from developing an interest in technical matters from an early age. Her eyes lit up whenever her father took time to explain the inner workings of machinery.
At the age of 9, Bertha began attending a school. Her favorite subject was "natural science".
One day while reading the family bible, Bertha came upon a distressing entry from her own beloved father. He had written: “Unfortunately only a girl again." when she was born.
Bertha was shocked. According to legend, this moment cemented Bertha’s determination to prove gender had no bearing on ability.
This determination was not the only way in which Bertha bucked societal norms of the period. She could have had her pick of suitors due to her good looks, clever wit, and well-off family. But Bertha set her sights on a man who didn’t check the expected boxes for someone in Bertha’s social sphere. During a coach ride on June 27, 1869, a penniless young engineer joined Bertha and her mother in their coach.
When he began talking about his work to create a horseless carriage, young Bertha decided Carl Benz was the man for her.
Bertha’s father tried to warn her off of a marriage with Carl to no avail. Without hesitation and before the wedding, Bertha invested her entire dowry to fund the company formed by her soon-to-be-husband.
On July 20, 1872, Carl and Bertha were married. In some ways, her father’s warnings of financial hardship were a reality: the early years of their marriage were difficult. While Carl Benz was something of an unrecognized genius when it came to design, business was not his strength. The Benzs became no strangers to hunger and social ridicule. Still, they pushed onwards.
After decades of hard work and a seemingly never ending series of setbacks, Carl Benz registered the first patent for the Motor Car on July 29, 1886.
Much to the surprise of the Benz family, nobody was interested in buying. Bertha decided to take matters into her own hands. She couldn’t bear the idea that the world was dismissing this enormous technological breakthrough. Bertha, by that point a mother of five, hopped in the driver’s seat, traveling 65 miles from Mannheim to Pforzheim to show the world what the automobile could do.
In the early hours of an August day in 1888, Bertha and her sons Richard and Eugen snuck out and took the Benz Patent Motor Car. Bertha was unflappable. She didn’t mind that the roads were not suitable for the automobile. She dealt with a clogged fuel line and chafed wiring with cleverly engineered solutions.
Bertha’s plan succeeded: while some of the onlookers were fearful of the automobile, many asked for a test ride.
Her expedition did more than just attract attention. It also helped to inspire technical improvements to the car. Bertha noted everything that had happened along the way and made important suggestions, such as the introduction of an additional gear for climbing hills and brake linings to improve brake-power. Her trip introduced the necessity of test driving the product.
Without Bertha’s unshakeable belief, her capital and her bravery, the Benz Patent Motor Car would not have become one of the most important cultural and technological advances of the era.
On Bertha’s 95th birthday she was proclaimed an honorary senator by the Technical University of Karlsruhe. She died two days later on May 5, 1944.
Still, her name lives on. But it’s just one half of the Mercedes-Benz brand name. Let’s switch gears to complete the story.
Mercédès Adrienne Manuela Ramona Jellinek was born in Vienna on September 16th, 1889. Merdedes’ father, Emil Jellinek, bought his first car from Daimler in 1897. He sold cars to members of the upper class. Determined to boost sales Emil entered the
vehicles into races, consistently demanding faster and more powerful cars. The most important of these races was Nice Week.
For Nice, Emil often chose a pseudonym. Rather than using his given name, he borrowed his daughter’s, calling himself, “Monsieur Mercedes.”
In 1900, while working on the cars and engines, Emil struck a deal with Daimler: that the name “Mercedes” would be used in the product. The new engine was named “Daimler-Mercedes". The first car to have the “Daimler-Mercedes” engine was a 35 horse power racing car.
In 1901, Emil drove the Mercedes for Nice Week. It was a hit. On September 26th, 1902, the Mercedes was legally registered as a trademark. One year later, Emil gained permission to call himself “Jellinek- Mercedes.” Jellinek later said: "This is probably the first time that a father has taken his daughter's name.”
From a company built on the legacy, determination and inspiration of women, Mercedes-Benz and Encyclopedia Wommanica celebrate those driving change.All month, we’re talking about women in the driver's seat.
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Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you on Monday!