Karl Benz was a German mechanical engineer born in 1844 who designed the world's first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. Despite growing up in poverty, he received a good education and studied mechanical engineering. At age 29, he invented the first automobile to be powered by an internal combustion engine, with help from his wife Bertha. In 1926, Benz & Cie merged with another company to form Daimler-Benz, which branded its cars Mercedes-Benz to honor one of its most important early models.
Karl Benz was a German mechanical engineer born in 1844 who designed the world's first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine. Despite growing up in poverty, he receiv…