In 1920s Chicago‚ violence was everywhere. With prohibition in full swing‚ and bootleggers rising to meet the ever-increasing demand for alcohol‚ tensions across the city were high.  Completing the recipe for violence was the organized crime syndicates that all but ran the city. Ranging from small-time bootlegging gangs to enormous crime empires like Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit‚ organized crime was everywhere. And where there were gangs‚ there were feuds.  All of this came to a head on February 14‚ 1929‚ when seven men belonging to the North Side Gang were murdered inside a car garage. This would come to be known as the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.  Reenactment of the St. Valentines Day massacre. Chicago History Museum The Leadup to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: Al Capone and George “Bugs” Moran Rivalry was part and parcel of bootlegging life in 1920s Chicago. It wasn’t strange for arguments and feuds to be settled with gun battles or covert assassinations‚ but what occurred on Valentine’s Day 1929 was unlike anything that had been seen before.  At the heart of the massacre was the ongoing rivalry between two of the most powerful Chicago Gangs–Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit and the North Side Gang‚ an Irish group run by George “Bugs” Moran.  Capone’s Chicago Outfit was by and large the biggest crime syndicate in the city. After taking over from Johnny Torrio‚ Al Capone began absorbing many of the smaller gangs of the area into the Chicago Outfit. Though he used several means to do so‚ his most common was outright violence.  There was one other gang that rivaled Capone’s for size‚ territory‚ and violence–The North Side Gang. After the death of Dion O’Banion at the hands of Capone’s predecessor‚ anger had been brewing between the two groups. Capone was ready to have it dealt with.  Al Capone in the early 1930s The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre  It was painfully cold on Valentine’s Day morning at 2212 N. Clark St. Seven members of the North Side Gang had arrived early to broker a deal with Detroit’s Purple Gang for cheap whiskey. It was supposed to be eight men‚ but gang leader Moran had woken up late and was running behind.  It was around 10:30 am when a Cadillac pulled up outside of the garage. Four men stepped out–two in plainclothes‚ and two dressed as police officers. The fake officers each carried a shotgun‚ and the other two men carried Thompson sub-machine guns.  Their arrival took the seven North Side Gang men off guard‚ even more so when the men dressed as officers ordered them to line up against the back walls. Then‚ without hesitation‚ the four men from the Cadillac opened fire‚ spraying bullets right to left until their guns were empty. When they were finished‚ the fake officers came in with the shotguns. They blasted away the faces of the dead men until some of them were barely recognizable.  Then‚ to keep up appearances for any bystanders outside of the garage‚ the fake police officers led the other two men out by gunpoint and loaded them back into the Cadillac. After that‚ they were gone.   The victims of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre were: Adam Heyer: Bookkeeper for Moran’s gang  Albert Kachellek: Second in command of the North Side Gang Reinhardt Schwimmer: Only associated with the gang‚ a former optometrist Albert Weinshank: Ran several money-laundering businesses for Moran’s gang Peter Gusenberg: An enforcer for the North Side Gang Frank Gusenberg: Peter’s brother‚ another enforcer  John May: The North Side Gang’s car mechanic  A picture of the victims of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Chicago History Museum Investigation‚ Suspects‚ and Theories  News of the massacre spread through the Chicago public like wildfire‚ putting gang leaders in a tough position. The initial reaction was shock‚ followed by outrage that something so terrible was able to be carried out in their city in broad daylight. There was a push for law enforcement to take bootlegging gangs more seriously‚ and for the massacre itself to be solved. The Chicago Police‚ under the leadership of Detective William Sullivan‚ began to try and unravel the mystery.  There was no lack of leads–police already knew of the rivalry between Moran and Capone. They were able to find the getaway car–a Cadillac that had been in a garage fire that had been intentionally set. There were even multiple‚ extremely credible‚ eyewitness accounts.  One of the victims of the massacre had survived for a short period despite being shot 14 times. But he refused to give police any information before succumbing to his wounds in the hospital.  So with all of this evidence‚ why is the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre still‚ for the most part‚ unsolved?  Is the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Unsolved?  To this day‚ in early 2024‚ no one has ever been arrested for the murders that occurred during the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre.  Several factors played into the lack of arrests. The biggest issue was that the man who is assumed to have ordered the massacre‚ Al Capone‚ was vacationing in Florida at the time it occurred.  Who Were the Suspects for the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre? Despite no one ever having been charged‚ Chicago police eventually settled on a few individuals who they believed committed the killings.  John Scalise: An influential member of the Chicago Outfit who had participated in various other shootings. Albert Anselmi: Another prominent member of Capone’s gang who had done violent work for him before.  Jack McGurn: A hitman and enforcer for the Chicago Outfit Frank Rio: One of Al Capone’s bodyguards  Fred Burke: The man that can be most definitively linked with the massacre is Fred Burke. He matched the description of the driver of the getaway car‚ and once his apartment was raided‚ Thompson’s submachine guns as well as a variety of other weapons were seized. Forensic analysis would later link these weapons to the massacre.  Although there were never any convictions made in relation to the St. Valentine’s Day massacre‚ it was common knowledge that Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit were likely behind the murders.  This put Capone in the perfect position to take almost complete control of the Chicago bootlegging scene‚ which he did with gusto. The only problem was that it also put him in the crosshairs of both Chicago police and the IRS‚ who would‚ in the end‚ arrest Capone not for murder‚ but for tax evasion.  References  “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre” https://www.history.com/topics/crime/saint-valentines-day-massacre “The St. Valentine’s Day Massacre”- John O’Brien https://www.chicagotribune.com/nation-world/chi-chicagodays-valentinesmassacre-story-story.htmlThe post What Led to the Grisly St. Valentines Day Massacre? first appeared on History Defined.

Self-Defense to the Extreme: How Omaima Nelson Murdered Her Husband

Golems have become ubiquitous figures in modern folklore‚ featured everywhere from Discworld novels to the world of Minecraft. But where did they come from? The English word comes from the Hebrew golem meaning “shapeless mass”. The word ‘golem’ is used once in the bible‚ and English versions translate it in various ways; it’s most often understood to mean “unformed body” in the sense of an embryo from the time of conception.  In the Middle Ages‚ golems emerged through Jewish folklore as anthropomorphic creatures molded from clay and animated with magic.  The story of golems has endured ever since‚ passed on through literature and films to arrive in cultural mainstays such as Dungeons and Dragons and popular television shows. Reproduction of a Prague Golem figure In the Beginning In the Talmud‚ the central text of Jewish theology that originated in oral traditions‚ the first human is described as a golem. God formed Adam out of dust gathered from around the world‚ and after his form was defined‚ “a soul was cast into him”. Golems – as in anthropomorphic figures created by men – appear in Jewish oral tradition around the eleventh century.  In some old stories‚ golems were formed from soil. The creator would then walk or dance around the form‚ chanting letters and calling upon God by name. To kill the creature‚ they had to walk in the opposite direction and recite the incantation backwards.  In other stories‚ the process was as simple as feeding the golem a piece of parchment that held the name of God. To kill the golem‚ one need simply remove the name.  Like Adam‚ golems are created from earth. But because they are created by humans rather than by God Almighty‚ they can never be fully human. Traditionally‚ golems were incapable of human speech.  The 11th century poet and philosopher Solomon ben Judah was said to have created a golem to serve his household.  The 12th century philosopher Samuel ben Kalonymus he-Hasid of Speyer was also said to have created a golem‚ a mute servant that accompanied him on his travels throughout France and Spain. Golems became a staple of Jewish mysticism. Almost always‚ they were animated through the power of the word: either the holy name of God written and fed into the clay figure’s mouth‚ or the Hebrew word for ‘truth’ written upon its head. By removing the first letter‚ emét could be changed to mét‚ the word for death‚ and the golem would be deactivated. Stories of golems endured and evolved over the centuries. In the 17th century‚ the rabbi Joseph Delmedigo wrote of golems‚ “many legends of this sort are current‚ particularly in Germany.” The Golem of Chelm Also in the 17th century‚ multiple authors recorded the longstanding belief that Rabbi Elijah (1550–1583) had succeeded in creating a golem.  Elijah bar Aaron Judah Baal Shem was the chief rabbi of Chelm‚ a city in Poland. According to local tradition‚ the chief rabbi created the golem from clay and animated it with his miraculous powers. On market days‚ the golem stood guard with an ax in his hand. If any man threatened a member of the Jewish community‚ the golem would cut that man down. Between market days‚ the golem served the rabbi and his wife. It also labored in the Beit Hamidrash‚ a place of study. When the golem grew so powerful that the rabbi himself began to fear it‚ he led the golem to the attic and there erased the letter aleph. It transformed the magic word truth into death and thereby reducing the golem to dust.  In some versions of the legend‚ Rabbi Elijah was crushed to death beneath a mountain of dust as the golem disintegrated. In others‚ he escaped with only a scratch given to him by the creature in its last‚ desperate moment of life. In another version of the story‚ the creature escapes. It’s often speculated that these old stories inspired Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or‚ The Modern Prometheus. Rabbi Elijah’s grandson Jacob Emden wrote:  When the Gaon saw that the Golem was growing larger and larger‚ he feared that the Golem would destroy the universe. He then removed the Holy Name that was embedded on his forehead‚ thus causing him to disintegrate and return to dust. Nonetheless‚ while he was engaged in extracting the Holy Name from him‚ the Golem injured him‚ scarring him on the face. Jacob Emden The rabbi’s grandsons fully believed in the old tale and often questioned the philosophical implications: What was the legal status of a golem? Could it be counted as one of the ten men required for a minyan? No‚ they concluded‚ because the golem was never fully human. The Golem of Prague Judah Loew ben Bezalel was also said to have created a golem to protect his people from pogroms and other antisemitic attacks.  Rabbi Loew was born in Poland (then a part of the Holy Roman Empire) in the early 16th century. He lived to be quite old. For most of his life‚ he served as a rabbi in Moravia and Bohemia‚ two regions of the Czech Republic that were known at that time as the Lands of the Bohemian Crown. He returned to Prague shortly before his death. Rabi Loew and Golem The earliest known source of the legend relating this famous scholar to a golem is a German book published in 1834. According to tradition‚ the golem could be called upon in times of crisis. Its name was Josef‚ and it had the power to summon spirits of the dead. It could also turn itself invisible. In many versions of the old tale‚ the golem became fixated on a young woman and turned violent when she rejected it. This made it necessary for the Rabbi to pull the shem from his mouth and rescind the gift of life. Like its predecessor‚ it was locked in the attic. The golem remains a popular myth in the Czech Republic‚ thanks in part to Gustav Meyrink’s 1915 novel The Golem. In the novel‚ the golem is an emblem of the Jewish ghetto‚ manifested by the centuries of suffering endured by its inhabitants. The post The Role of Golems in Jewish History and Folklore first appeared on History Defined.

What makes someone beautiful? Some attributes‚ like bright eyes and a winning smile‚ will always be considered beautiful in a person‚ but there are dark marks in history where beauty was intimately linked to pain. One such practice‚ maybe the most painful of them all‚ was foot binding. Foot binding was a centuries-old Chinese tradition that involved the painful deformation of women’s feet using tight bindings and the breaking of bones. This practice would begin in childhood‚ and by the time the women were adults‚ their feet would be forever deformed‚ sometimes to the point of only being three inches long.  Here we will unravel the reasons behind this ancient practice‚ why society demanded it of so many women‚ and how foot binding eventually fell out of favor.  The feet of a distinguished Chinese woman who had her feet bound. 1911 The Painful Legacy of Foot Binding Now that foot binding is no longer practiced‚ it’s difficult to understand just how difficult and transformative the practice was. Women who underwent foot binding would be changed for life. They would lose the ability to walk unassisted. They were unable to work or even socialize outside the home‚ and the pain from the procedure could linger for years‚ if not a lifetime.  Foot binding was meant to make a woman appear more delicate. The hobbled‚ swaying walk the bound feet would force on a woman was considered attractive. This expectation led women of all classes to begin binding their feet and the feet of their daughters to make them more attractive for marriage. But at what cost? What Was Foot Binding‚ and How Was it Done? Foot binding has always been a distinctly Chinese practice‚ and no other culture has ever practiced it. The roots of foot binding go back to the 10th century during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in China.  During that time‚ Emperor Li Yu watched his concubine Yiao Niang perform a swaying dance upon a lotus flower he had built. The Emperor was utterly captivated. It was during this dance that the link between the lotus flower and foot binding would be made. This explains why the broken and bound feet of Chinese women would be called “lotus feet”.  What Was the Purpose of Foot Binding? When the tiny “lotus feet” came into fashion initially‚ foot binding was practiced almost exclusively by the elite. Foot binding was traumatic and drastically affected the way a woman could walk‚ and it was not ideal for families where the women needed to work.  Higher-class women were able to live sedentary‚ pampered lifestyles‚ so they were never required to engage in physical labor. Because of this‚ foot binding would become a status symbol reinforcing the idea that a woman’s worth lay in their physical beauty and that higher-class women were superior to the lower class.  A Chinese Golden Lily Foot‚ 1870s Foot binding wasn’t just a physical ordeal‚ though. It had intense societal influence–a woman with lotus feet was seen as the epitome of feminine beauty and grace. Not only that‚ but a woman with bound feet was also considered virtuous‚ delicate‚ refined‚ and a high-value candidate for marriage.  On the other hand‚ women with normal‚ unbound feet were considered ungainly and unrefined. Normal feet meant that the women had to work‚ usually on the family farm. It indicated that the man of the house couldn’t afford to support a woman who had been disabled by her bound feet.  As time went on‚ the practice of foot binding would spread to the lower classes as well. It eventually became so common that by the 19th century‚ almost half of Chinese women had bound feet within the general population. This number would rise to nearly 100% in the upper classes. Methods of Foot Binding Foot binding would begin before a girl’s feet were done growing‚ traditionally between the ages of four and nine. The process was violent and unbelievably painful. So much so that mothers were discouraged from binding their own daughter’s feet because the obvious agony might make the mother sympathetic enough to stop. Instead‚ another female relative or a foot binding specialist would perform the procedure.  The excruciating steps of foot binding included‚ Step 1-Softening the feet: The process would usually begin in the winter when the girls’ feet would already be numb from the cold. They would then be soaked in a mixture of herbs and animal blood to soften the feet and make them more pliable.  Step 2-Breaking the toes and arches: Next‚ the toes were bent backward with intense force and pressed against the sole of the foot. After that‚ the arch of the foot was forcefully broken‚ making it possible to force the ball of the foot and heel together.  Step 3-Binding: Long strips of cloth were wound around the broken feet in a figure eight shape‚ locking them into the desired shape. The bindings were then sewn shut so the girl could not remove them.  Step 4- Tightening: After the initial breaking and binding‚ the bindings would need to be removed‚ the foot cleaned‚ and then rebound. Ideally‚ this would happen daily‚ but for poorer families‚ it was often only done twice or thrice a week. Each time the foot would be rewrapped‚ the bindings would be wound tighter and tighter.  How Painful Was Foot Binding? Foot binding was incredibly painful‚ and involved the breaking of many bones‚ loss of circulation‚ and the eventual‚ permanent deformity of the feet.  A woman‚ interviewed for the Humans of China feature in The Beijinger described the pain‚  “Eventually‚ I got used to the pain but the pain stayed for eight years and after a while‚ I learned how to deal with it….At times I did cry but crying didn’t take away the pain. I remember I could walk‚ I had no choice but to walk.” Once the feet were bound women would wear a tiny shoe called a lotus shoe to accentuate how small their feet were. The ideal lotus foot was the “golden lotus” at about 3 inches‚ followed by the “silver lotus” at 4 inches‚ and beyond that‚ the “iron lotus”‚ which was any lotus foot five inches or larger.  A lotus shoe. The History of Foot Binding At one time‚ 40-60% of the female population in China had their feet bound‚ but now‚ only one woman may be left in the entire world with bound “lotus” feet.  This woman‚ 93-year-old Sun Cho Ngo Chu‚ had her feet bound at just seven years old. Sun Cho Ngo Chu is the last living foot-binding survivor‚ and the practice was heavily out of favor when she had the procedure done. Here is a brief timeline of the history of foot binding:  Pre-10th Century While no concrete evidence of foot binding existed before the 10th century‚ one story of Southern Qi Emperor Xiao Baojuan mentions “lotus feet” in reference to the dancing of his concubine Pan Yunu. 10th Century Yao Niang performed her dance for Emperor Li Yu. Her feet were bound in silk‚ and she danced upon a lotus–this is the origin of the idea of lotus feet.  Song Dynasty The elite class in China began to consider bound feet a sign of feminine beauty. More and more women started to bind their feet. 13th Century  Women in lower classes begin to bind their feet. 14-17th Century Foot binding becomes a social norm. Between 40-50% of Chinese women were binding their feet at this time. 19th Century Influence from Western missionaries and educational reform begin to push back against the practice of foot binding. 20th Century  Along with educational reform and Western missionaries‚ the feminist movement begins to take hold‚ and foot binding is condemned. The Republic of China worked to outlaw foot binding by 1912‚ but some rural areas continued the practice. Towards the end of the 20th century‚ foot binding would nearly fade away completely. 21st Century  Foot binding is irradicated completely‚ but a few elderly women remain who still have bound feet from when they were children.  The Decline of Foot Binding  Despite foot binding becoming deeply ingrained in Chinese culture‚ the practice would eventually disappear starting in the 19th century. Political changes were sweeping the country‚ and with it‚ changes in the societal view of gender equality. Feminists‚ Western Christian missionaries‚ and women’s advocates began to work to abolish foot binding. By the late 20th century‚ the custom would be extinct. The Chinese government outlawed the practice. They told citizens that foot binding was a form of oppression and that the country as a whole would be stronger when foot binding was a thing of the past.  The change in beauty standards also played a part in making foot binding disappear. While a bound foot in a lotus shoe looked strange‚ a bare foot that had undergone foot binding was disturbing to behold. Women with normal feet became the standard for beauty‚ and foot binding was viewed as archaic.  Foot Bound Girls‚ Liao Chow‚ Shansi‚ China. Circa 1920-1930. Photo: Ralph Repo Does Foot Binding Still Exist? After foot binding was outlawed in 1912‚ it persisted in isolated pockets in the most rural parts of China. The last reported foot binding was in 1957‚ and the last factory to produce lotus shoes‚ the Zhiqian Shoe Factory‚ would finally close in 1999. Today‚ the practice of foot binding is extinct.  Feet of a Chinese woman who had her feet bound in childhood. Can Foot Binding Be Undone? Foot binding cannot be reversed‚ but bound feet can be unbound and recover somewhat over time. Because of how intense the process of foot binding is‚ there is no reversing all of the broken bones and skeletal changes once the bound foot has begun to heal into the triangular “lotus” shape.  When foot binding became illegal‚ women who removed their wrappings found it was almost as painful as when the feet were bound initially. So once a girl had her feet bound‚ there was no going back. Her feet could be unbound‚ but they would never be the same.  References “Survivor of ancient Chinese practice of foot binding shares her story”- Nancy Loo   https://wgntv.com/news/cover-story/survivor-of-ancient-chinese-practice-of-foot-binding-shares-her-story/ “Humans of China: “I Got Used to it but the Pain Stayed for Eight Years”-Cameron Hack https://www.thebeijinger.com/blog/2020/03/01/humans-china-i-got-used-it-pain-stayed-eight-years “Bound Feet‚ Young Hands: Tracking the Demise of Footbinding in Village China”-Laurel Bossen and Hill Gates  https://www.sup.org/books/extra/?id=27024&;i=Excerpt%20from%20Chapter%20One.htmlThe post The Painful Legacy of the Tradition of Foot Binding first appeared on History Defined.

Can you imagine a life without automobiles? It can be difficult to fathom that just 140 years ago‚ there were none of them on the road.  But who invented the car? The name should be quite familiar: Karl Benz.  It is important to note that while Benz is credited for its invention‚ many inventors and innovators before him helped create the foundation of an automobile.   Karl Benz (1844–1929) with his family. 1900 Karl Benz Karl (or Carl) Friedrich Benz was a German mechanical engineer who designed the first practical automobile with an internal combustion engine. He was granted a patent in 1886 and called it the Benz Patent-Motorwagen.  The vehicle didn’t look like the cars we have today—it was a two-seater vehicle with three wheels. However‚ it became the basis for the creation of all modern cars.  Early Life Karl Benz was born in Germany on November 25‚ 1844. His mother‚ Josephine Valiant‚ raised him on her own. His father‚ Johann George Benz‚ was a locomotive driver who died of pneumonia when Karl was two years old.  Benz grew up poor but demonstrated a high level of intellect at an early age. He attended a science-oriented elementary school and entered the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. There‚ he was mentored by Ferdinand Redtenbacher‚ who became the founder of scientific mechanical engineering.  The future inventor of the car initially had his eyes set on locksmithing. However‚ he decided to pursue studies that reminded him of his dad.  After graduating‚ Benz pursued various jobs that took him to different parts of Germany and eventually Vienna. He went back to Manheim to open his own business in 1871.  Karl Benz in 1869 at 25 years old Founding of Benz &; Cie Benz’s first business pursuit failed. But in 1883‚ he opened a company called Benz &; Company Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik‚ or Benz &; Cie‚ which produced industrial machinery. He found success in this endeavor‚ which gave him more resources to pursue his dream of designing a horseless carriage.  With his strong background in mechanical engineering‚ Benz created the first automobile using the principles of the bicycle‚ which he was always fond of. This brand-new machine had wired wheels instead of the wooden ones found in carriages.  The Benz Patent-Motorwagen was created in 1885 and received a patent on January 29‚ 1886‚ as an “automobile fueled by gas.”  The first model ran at a top speed of 16 kilometers per hour. To put this in perspective‚ the global average speed of modern cars is 30 kilometers per hour. A replica of Karl Benz’s Patent Motorwagen Bertha Benz Nee Ringer As many would say‚ behind every successful man is a woman. This is very true in the case of Benz.  Remember when we mentioned that Benz’s first business failed? It was Bertha Ringer who bailed him out. She was born into a wealthy family and had a large dowry‚ which she used to purchase Benz’s company share.  The couple got married on July 20‚ 1872‚ and had five children. Benz and Ringer tried to fund their first venture together until they couldn’t anymore. Ringer continued to rally behind Benz when Benz &; Cie launched.  The Benz Patent-Motorwagen may have received a patent but did not do well commercially. Ringer helped change this. Without her husband’s knowledge‚ Ringer took their two sons and drove the vehicle 100 kilometers on mostly unpaved roads. It was the world’s first long-distance journey in an automobile‚ done in 1888. This demonstrated to the public that the vehicle was safe and convenient for families to travel in.  The Emergence of the Mercedes-Benz Group In 1888‚ the Benz automobile was made available commercially. The car only had two gears. Ringer was Benz’s field tester and suggested that a third gear be added to make it easier to drive uphill.  By 1899‚ Benz &; Cie was the largest automobile company in the world‚ producing around 572 units every year. In 1926‚ Benz &; Cie merged with Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft‚ originally a German engineering company. They became Mercedes-Benz. It has been more than 136 years since Benz sold his first car‚ and there are now 758 global car and automobile manufacturing businesses worldwide. The Mercedes-Benz Group is one of the biggest car companies‚ with a revenue of $156.23 billion.  Here are the current rankings in terms of revenue: Volkswagen Toyota Stellantis Mercedes-Benz Ford The Journey Toward the Invention of the Car Benz may have been credited as the inventor of the car‚ but he did not pluck the concept out of thin air. Many significant innovations in the previous decades and centuries helped Benz develop such a sophisticated machine.  In the 1500s‚ Leonardo da Vinci put the idea of a self-propelled car onto paper. The design is spring-driven‚ which means it has to be wound up to run.   Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot‚ a French military engineer‚ designed the first true automobile in 1769: a self-propelled vehicle with a steam engine. The primary purpose of the vehicle was to move heavy artillery pieces. Its top speed was 3.2 kilometers per hour‚ and it had to rebuild steam every 20 minutes.  In 1826‚ English engineer Samuel Brown developed one of the earliest concepts of an internal combustion engine. He was granted patents for machinery improvements and is sometimes referred to as the father of the gas engine. However‚ his invention didn’t gain traction at the time.  Belgian inventor Etienne Lenoir successfully launched the first commercially sold internal combustion engine. It was used in many applications‚ such as pumping and printing. This innovation is critical to the invention of the car.  There were many more inventions and innovations along the way‚ but Benz has always been credited for creating the first proper automobile.  “We generally think of the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen as the first proper car‚” author Tom Standage wrote in A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel‚ to the Car‚ to What Comes Next. “Carl Benz built an entirely new vehicle around an internal combustion engine and used bicycle parts to do it. It was really a motorized bicycle‚ so this is what makes the car interesting.” What If Karl Benz Didn’t Invent the Car? Have you imagined a life without cars? If Karl Benz didn’t do it during his lifetime‚ somebody else would have invented the automobile‚ whether using the same mechanism or not. After all‚ inventions happen because creative and talented people are always looking for ways to solve current problems.  Today‚ tens of millions of cars are produced worldwide each year. China‚ Japan‚ and Germany are the leading manufacturers. The post Who is Credited as the Inventor of the Car? first appeared on History Defined.

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