Bertha Benz was a German automotive pioneer and inventor, she was the business partner and wife of Carl Benz, the inventor of the first automobile. On 5 August 1888, she was the first person to drive an internal-combustion-engined automobile over a long distance, field-testing the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, inventing brake lining and solving several practical issues during the journey. In doing so, she brought the Patent-Motorwagen worldwide attention and got the company its first sales.