Who was the first woman driver - and when did she first drive

A. The answer to lmark's question is Bertha Benz. And before you male chauvinist pigs ask: No, she didn't back it into the garage doors.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

Q. Benz ... any relation to ...

A. Yes. Bertha was wife of Karl Benz, inventor of one of the world's first cars.

Q. So how did this pioneering journey take place

Q. With her husband's approval

A. No - in his ignorance. They originally planned to make the journey by train, but 15-year-old Eugen suggested they take the Benz car instead. Bertha, obviously a woman who knew her mind, agreed. It would, she thought, provide the evidence her husband needed that the car was ready to go on the market. Bertha left a note on the kitchen table, and crept out of the house with her sons to the horseless carriage.

Q. And woke the household

A. No - they pushed the vehicle far enough away before starting it so the noise would not awaken Karl. First stop was Heidelberg, where they stopped for refreshment. By the time they got tot Wieslock, they topped the radiator with water; they also needed more fuel - so they bought some ligroin - a petroleum distillate used as a solvent - from a chemists' shop.

Q. So it all went without too much drama

A. Yes - until they got to a hill in Bretten. The Benz wasn't powerful enough for the climb, so young Richard - the lightest - steered while Bertha and Eugen got out and pushed.

Q. That was all

A. No. At one point, the fuel line became blocked, so Bertha removed the obstruction with her hatpin. An ignition fire also short-circuited, so she made an insulator out of one of her garters. The ingenuity of the fairer sex! However, there were some things she couldn't fix. She telegraphed her husband as soon as she arrived in Pforzheim at nightfall.

Q. And what did Karl say

A. He asked her to ship the car's driving chains to him immediately because he needed them for a third model he was putting together for an exhibition in Munich.

Q. Did this amazing test run lead to any modifications

A. The hill problem meant something really needed to be done about driving uphill - so Benz added a low gear to the car, creating the first multi-gear transmission. Bertha told Karl: 'People only buy what they know. First you must show them your wares, then they will jump at the opportunity.' Mercedes-Benz is still doing rather well.

To ask another question about People & Places, click here

By Steve Cunningham