In the 19th century, the challenge of motorized transportation was confronted by several inventors.  The earliest attempts featured horse carriages or carts powered by early internal combustion engines.  It was not until the late 1800s that significant steps were taken towards the modern automobile.

On this day, January 29th, in the year 1886, the first gasoline powered automobile was patented by German car designer, Karl Benz. Benz designed a three-wheeled automobile powered by his revolutionary four-stroke cycle gasoline engine. After gaining his patent, Benz would eventually sell 25 vehicles between 1888 and 1893.  In his lifetime, Karl Benz’s influence stretched far beyond his first patent and he would dare many other feats in automobile history such as designing a four-wheeled vehicle, completing the first road trip by car and the invention of the first internal-combustion flat engine.

It is difficult to underplay the importance of Karl Benz’s automobile innovation.  In less than a half century, the automobile would evolve from a primitive, three-wheeled vehicle to the primary form of transportation for the United States and many other countries throughout the world.  Without the work of Karl Benz, the history of the automobile would have been drastically altered.