Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Benz patent of 1886
(Patent DRP 37435 ‘Vehicle
with gas engine operation’)
Inscribed 2011
What is it
Carl Benz’s unique and irreplaceable patent of 1886 for
a ‘vehicle with gas engine operation’ is the world’s first
patent for an automobile.
Why was it inscribed
It symbolizes the emergence of individual powered
mobility and is the origin of today’s automobile society.
Where is it
Daimler AG Collection, Archive and Collection,
Stuttgart, Germany
The automobile is unquestionably of great global
economic and cultural importance. Its origins lie in
southwest Germany with the inventors Gottlieb Daimler
and Wilhelm Maybach in Stuttgart and Carl Benz
in Mannheim. The work of Carl Benz is particularly
significant. The unique feature of his innovation was
the idea of developing and building the motor carriage
and engine together. From the heavy and slow-running
� The illustration from the Benz patent showing Carl Benz’s design
for his three-wheeled Motorwagen, the first practical automobile.
382 Benz patent of 1886
The Benz Patent Motorwagen is shown at the
Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart, Germany. �
© Daimler AG