In 1888 Bertha Benz drove 106 km to promote her husband's car, without telling him

historyWikipedia1888 · Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany

In 1888 Bertha Benz drove 106 km to promote her husband's car, without telling him

the gist

In August 1888 Bertha Benz took the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, which topped out at about 10 km/h, on a 106 km drive from Mannheim to Pforzheim with her two teenage sons. She had not told her husband Karl, the car's inventor, and the trip took more than twelve hours. Officially she was visiting her mother, but her real aim was publicity for the new machine. The route is now a scenic road in Baden-Württemberg called the Bertha Benz Memorial Route. The family business later evolved into Mercedes-Benz.

so what

Her drive proved that a car could cover real distance, a claim many people doubted at the time. Within a few decades, long trips moved from pioneering feats to family holidays, and the US Interstate system later reshaped them again. Early cross-country drives were still slow: the 1903 San Francisco to New York journey took 63 days.

fun fact

The 1903 transcontinental drive from San Francisco to New York was accompanied by a dog named Bud.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Illustrative photo · Bühler, Mannheim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗