Carl Benz

Carl Benz
Born
Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant

(1844-11-25)25 November 1844
Mühlburg, Baden, German Confederation
(now Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany)
Died4 April 1929(1929-04-04) (aged 84)
Ladenburg, Baden, Weimar Republic
Resting placeCemetery of Ladenburg
EducationUniversity of Karlsruhe
OccupationEngineer
Spouse
​
(m. 1872)​
Children5
Engineering career
ProjectsFounded Fabrik für Maschinen zur Blechbearbeitung, Gasmotorenfabrik in Mannheim A. G., Benz & Cie.
Significant designBenz Patent-Motorwagen
Significant advanceAutomobile
Signature

Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (German: [kaʁl ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈbɛnts] ⓘ; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automobile and first car put into series production.[1] He received a patent for the motorcar in 1886, the same year he first publicly drove the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.[2]

His company Benz & Cie., based in Mannheim, was the world's first automobile plant and largest of its day.[3] In 1926, it merged with Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft to form Daimler-Benz, which produces the Mercedes-Benz among other brands.

Benz is widely regarded as "the father of the car",[4][5] as well as the "father of the automobile industry".[6]

  1. ^ "Der Streit um den "Geburtstag" des modernen Automobils" [The fight over the birth of the modern automobile] (in German). German Patent and Trade Mark Office. 22 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Karl Benz drives the first automobile, July 3, 1886". 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  3. ^ "Benz Patent Motor Car: The first automobile (1885–1886)". Daimler.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  4. ^ "Karl Benz: Father of the Automobile". YouTube. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  5. ^ "The Father of automobile gave us Mercedes Benz and Merc gave us fascinating facts. Check out a few here! - ET Auto". Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  6. ^ Fanning, Leonard M. (1955). Carl Benz: Father of the Automobile Industry. New York: Mercer Publishing.