decars1-2, Exercise 2: Bertha Benz's drive

Model answer (check the details):

The story: in August 1888 Bertha Benz drove one of her husband's vehicles with her two sons from Mannheim to Pforzheim, about 100 km, and sent a telegram on arrival. The journey showed that the car could go a long distance and brought publicity.

Documented (in outline): that she made the journey, in 1888, with her sons, over that route, and that it became a celebrated event. A memorial route follows the road today.

Likely to come from later retellings: that she did it without telling her husband; the exact stops, such as buying fuel (a solvent) at a pharmacy in Wiesloch; the blacksmith's help with a chain; and the cobbler fitting leather to the brakes, which is often called the first brake lining. Some of these details come from family and company accounts written long after, and company histories tend to favour a good story.

Careful version: "Bertha Benz is recorded as making a long journey in 1888; the popular details are traditional and should be checked."