The invention of the first car is credited to Karl Benz, a brilliant German engineer who revolutionized transportation. On January 29, 1886, Benz patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the world’s first practical gasoline-powered automobile. This three-wheeled vehicle featured a single-cylinder, four-stroke engine producing 0.75 horsepower and had a top speed of about 10 mph.

Karl Benz’s invention was a groundbreaking moment in transportation history. The Benz Patent-Motorwagen had a steering handlebar like a bicycle, electronic ignition, and a water-cooled engine. Benz’s wife, Bertha, made history by driving the Motorwagen on a 65-mile trip in 1888, bringing worldwide attention to the invention.

Karl Benz was born in 1844 in Karlsruhe, Germany. He studied mechanical engineering and worked on developing gasoline-powered engines. He founded Benz & Co. in 1883 to manufacture engines.

The merger of Benz’s company with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft in 1926 formed Daimler-Benz AG, the predecessor to the Mercedes-Benz brand. Karl Benz is regarded as a pioneer of the modern automobile.