There's a first for everything. Sometimes we witness major events, sometimes things happen that are just insignificant details but are too weird to go unconsidered. What are the weirdest "firsts" in automotive history?
When Bertha Benz borrowed the car to go see her mother, who lived sixty-five miles away, it was hardly the unremarkable experience that such a trip today would be. See, this happened in 1888. Bertha's visit to Mom was the first long-distance drive in history, and helped prove the viability of the automobile as a transportation conveyance instead of just a backyard science project.
And yes, she did this without telling Karl.
(QOTD is your chance to address the day's most pressing automotive questions and to experience the opinions of the insightful insiders, practicing pundits, and gleeful gearheads that make up the Jalopnik commentariat. If you've got a suggestion for a good Question of the Day, send an email to tips at jalopnik dot com.)
Photo Credit: ARD.de via en.wikipedia.org