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 Here's a pop quiz for all you Mercedes aficionados out there: "What year did Karl Benz file a patent for his three-wheeled vehicle with a gas engine?"
Or how about this one: "In what year did the S-Class become the world's first production car to offer an airbag and seat belt tensioner as an option?"
The answers are 1886 and 1981, and both share a key element - they're celebrating an anniversary in 2006 (120 years and 25 years, to be precise).
In addition to these two tidbits of MB history, Mercedes has published a press release today highlighting many of their key achievements from the past 100+ years, that all happen to be celebrating an anniversary in 2006. A few notable mentions include the 110 year anniversary of the world's first truck, delivered to the British Motor Syndicate by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, and the 80 year anniversary of Daimler-Benz AG, which was created by the merger of Daimler-Motoren Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie.
If you have some free time, take a second and check out Mercedes' press release below for the full list of achievements and milestones celebrating an anniversary in 2006.
OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE
DaimlerChrysler Heritage Topics for 2006
Stuttgart, Dec 01, 2005
 On May 19, 2006, the New Mercedes-Benz Museum will be inaugurated. This major project outside the gates of the traditional plant in Untertürkheim and the building’s distinctive architecture signalize that Mercedes-Benz is newly defining its unique position in the history of individual mobility and as the showcase corporation of German industry. The New Mercedes-Benz Museum will also bring the great significance attributed to the cultivation of tradition at Mercedes-Benz to the attention of an international public in that it will impressively present the brand’s lasting claim to authenticity by means of select exhibits from 120 years of automotive history.
January
 January 29, 1886 – 120 years ago: Karl Benz files a patent for his three-wheeled “vehicle with gas engine”. Patent no. 37435 issued by the German Reich authorities and dated November 2, 1886 is regarded as the “birth certificate” of the automobile.
 January 1, 1911 – 95 years ago: Benz includes a complete commercial vehicle lineup in its range virtually over night, by taking over “Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau GmbH” and renaming the company “Benzwerke Gaggenau GmbH” in early 1912.
 January 23, 1951 – 55 years ago: A patent is filed for the safety passenger cell. This invention by Béla Barényi, protected by patent no. 854 157, continues to form the basis for passive safety in automotive engineering to this very day.
 January 1, 1976 – 30 years ago: On January 1, 1976, the wearing of safety belts on the front seats becomes obligatory in Germany. Mercedes-Benz included front-seat safety belts in the standard equipment of all passenger cars as early as 1973, having offered the first safety belt back in 1957 – for the 300 SL roadster.
 January 27, 1976 – 30 years ago: One of the most successful Mercedes-Benz model series of all time and today a much coveted classic-to-be: The 123 mid-series passenger car models 200 D, 220 D, 240 D, 300 D, 200, 230, 250, 280 and 280 E are introduced in Bandol in the south of France. They replace the Stroke Eight models from the 114/115 series.
 January 26 – February 1, 1981 – 25 years ago: The anti-lock braking system for commercial vehicles, jointly developed with brake producer WABCO, is presented to the international press in Rovaniemi, Finland.
February
 February 15 – March 1, 1936 – 70 years ago: The world’s first diesel-engined passenger car from large-scale production, the Mercedes-Benz 260 D, is launched at the International Automobile and Motorcycle Show in Berlin. Other new models presented at the show: the 170 V (W 136) and 170 H (W 28) passenger cars.
 February 3 – 8, 1986 – 20 years ago: Important milestones in automotive safety development – acceleration skid control (ASR) for passenger cars and commercial vehicles, the automatic locking differential (ASD) and the automatically engaged four-wheel drive (4MATIC) for passenger cars – are presented by Daimler-Benz in Rovaniemi, Finland.
March
 March 5 – 15, 1981 – 25 years ago: The airbag and the belt tensioner – important passive safety systems – are the highlights at the International Geneva Motor Show. Daimler-Benz is the world’s first manufacturer to present these systems which are available as options in the same year.
April
 April 23, 1911 – 95 years ago: The highest absolute speed of a road-going vehicle is reached and a world record established that remains unbeaten until 1919. Bob Burman tops Barney Oldfield’s record and reaches an average speed of 228.1 km/h over one mile from a flying start driving a Lightning Benz at Daytona Beach in Florida, USA.
 April 12 – 13, 1931 – 75 years ago: Rudolf Caracciola is the first non-Italian driver to win the Mille Miglia. In the race over 1,000 miles (1,635 kilometers) with start and finish in Brescia, Italy, the team of Rudolf Caracciola and Wilhelm Sebastian, driving a Mercedes-Benz SSKL (W 06 RS), clinch victory at an average speed of 101.1 km/h.
May
May 19/20, 2006: The New Mercedes-Benz Museum is inaugurated. Located just outside the gates of the Untertürkheim plant, it testifies in many ways to the unique traditional values of Mercedes-Benz.
 May 1946 – 60 years ago: With the assembly of the first panel van, delivery vehicle and ambulance versions of the 170 V (W 136 I), post-war passenger car production begins at Daimler-Benz AG. A total of 214 units are produced until the end of the year.
 May 1981 – 25 years ago: Daimler-Benz takes over the American commercial vehicle manufacturer Freightliner. In the following decade, the company’s vehicle sales double, and by 1992 Freightliner has established itself as the leading commercial vehicle producer in North America – a position the company has retained with its different brands to this day.
June
 June 28/29, 1926 – 80 years ago: Daimler-Benz AG is created by the merger of Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft and Benz & Cie., two companies which had agreed on a pooling of interests two years earlier. The new company is domiciled in Berlin, and the central administration is located in Untertürkheim.
July
 July 1976 – 30 years ago: Large-scale production of the MB-trac 1100 begins at the Gaggenau plant. The MB-trac 1300, the second model in the heavy-duty series, follows in October.
 July 20, 1981 – 25 years ago: The Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W 126) is the world’s first production car to become optionally available with airbag and belt tensioner.
September
 September 28, 1956 – 50 years ago: Daimler-Benz AG inaugurates its own plant in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil. Today, some 11,000 people manufacture light-duty through to heavy-duty commercial vehicles, bus chassis and engines there.
 September 21 – 29, 1996 – 10 years ago: At the International Commercial Vehicle Show in Hanover, Mercedes-Benz presents a new heavy-duty commercial vehicle series, the Actros. Each vehicle is configured to match the given application – the range of assemblies including, among other things, nine different cabs and eight engine versions with output ratings between 235 kW (320 hp) and 425 kW (578 hp). Furthermore Mercedes-Benz presents the large Vario van, the O 550 Integro country bus, the O 405 NÜL and the Innovisia bus design study.
October
 October 1, 1896 – 110 years ago: The world’s first truck is supplied to British Motor Syndicate, Ltd. in London by Cannstatt-based Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. The vehicle is fitted with a four-hp two-cylinder engine and has a payload capacity of 1,500 kilograms.
 October 1 – 11, 1931 – 75 years ago: At the Paris Motor Show, Daimler-Benz AG introduces the 170 (W 15). An innovative feature of this model is its progressive chassis design. The 170 is the first Mercedes-Benz passenger car from large-scale production, which is fitted with swing axles front and rear, i.e. with independent wheel suspension all round. During the economic crisis, the W 15 – the smallest passenger car model of Daimler-Benz AG – proves to be the right car at the right time.
 October 23, 1971 – 35 years ago: Daimler-Benz files a patent for the airbag system (patent specification no. DE 2152902 C2). Ten years later it is offered by Mercedes-Benz as option. Today, there have been few vehicles across all manufacturers, which are not fitted with at least one airbag.
October 1, 1986 – 20 years ago: The “PROMETHEUS” research project initiated by Daimler-Benz and aimed at outlining new perspectives for the traffic of the future, is launched as part of the European “EUREKA” research program in which 14 European motor manufacturers are involved.
November
 November 1956 – 50 years ago: With the L 326 heavy-duty truck, the Mercedes-Benz model lineup is complemented for the first time by a commercial vehicle with an engine output of 200 hp. Initially produced for export only, the L 326 also becomes available in Germany in March 1957, meeting the customers’ demands for increased performance.
 November 8, 1981 – 25 years ago: On the premises of the Berlin-Marienfelde plant, the foundation stone is laid for the new research center of the Berlin Research Group of Daimler-Benz, established in 1977. Daimler-Benz invests DM 25 million in the construction of a driving simulator to engage in even more intensive research into the interaction of drivers and vehicles in road traffic.
 November 25, 1996 – ten years ago: Mercedes Benz introduces the Brake Assist (BAS) as another pioneering contribution to the improvement of handling safety. In December, it is incorporated in the standard specifications – initially in the S-Class and SL-Class.
December
 December 1906 – 100 years ago: The world’s first fire-fighting pump powered by a gasoline engine is put into operation by the voluntary fire brigade of the Grunewald suburb of Berlin. The 32/35 hp four-cylinder chassis comes from Süddeutsche Automobilfabrik Gaggenau.
December 2001 – five years ago: Mercedes-Benz for the first time offers a handling safety system analogous to ESP for trucks. This system, Telligent Stability Control, is made available at a price of 2,000 euros, initially for Actros semitrailer tractors.
Other anniversaries of DaimlerChrysler Heritage in 2006
January
January 14, 1896 – 110 years ago: Henry Lawson founds Daimler Motor Company, Ltd., the oldest automotive factory in the United Kingdom.
January 7, 1976 – 30 years ago: The first Unimog U 120 from large-scale production comes off the assembly line at the Gaggenau plant.
January 11 – 21, 1996 – 10 years ago: The new Vito light-duty van is presented to the public at the Geneva Commercial Vehicle Show. It is elected “Van of the Year 1996” the same year.
January 1996 – 10 years ago: At the Mercedes Benz Bus Days in Frankfurt/Main, the O 405 GNÜ low-floor articulated country bus and the O 405 NK are launched.
February
February 22, 1946 – 60 years ago: The first passenger car engine produced after the war, a 1.7-liter four-cylinder unit for the 170 V, is completed in Untertürkheim.
February 18 and 24, 1951 – 55 years ago: Daimler Benz enters three W 154 pre-war racing cars in the “Premio Presidente de la Nación Juan D. Peron” in Argentina.
February 25, 1961 – 45 years ago: The new Daimler-Benz Museum in inaugurated in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of motorization.
February 1, 1986 – 20 years ago: The Daimler-Benz Museum, modernized for the activities celebrating the 100th anniversary of the automobile, opens its doors after a conversion period of eleven months with enlarged exhibition space and a new concept.
March
March 25 – 29, 1901 – 105 years ago: During Nice Race Week, works driver Wilhelm Werner wins the Nice – Salon – Nice race over a distance of 392 kilometers at the wheel of a 35 hp Mercedes. Werner also clinches victory in the Nice – La Turbie hillclimb race at an average speed of 51.4 km/h.
March 22, 1931 – 75 years ago: Manfred von Brauchitsch wins the Nice – La Turbie race.
March 2, 1981 – 25 years ago: An experimental O 305 bus with methanol propulsion is introduced in Untertürkheim.
March 17 – 22, 1986 – 25 years ago: The newly developed T 2 transporter series is introduced to the international press in Rome.
April
April 1891 – 115 years ago: Daimler Motor Co. founded by William Steinway in Harford, Connecticut/USA, in September 1889 produces America’s first fully operational vehicle engine under license, on the basis of Gottlieb Daimler’s original plans.
April 1 – 8, 1971 – 35 years ago: At the Hanover trade fair, the 24-meter long, four-axle double articulated O 305 GZ bus powered by two electric motors with 250 kilowatts each is introduced.
April 9 – 16, 1986 – 20 years ago: At the Hanover trade fair, Daimler-Benz presents the powertrain of the new O 405 GTD duo bus with a combination of diesel engine and electric propulsion, as well as components of an experimental passenger car derived from the 230 E, operating purely on hydrogen.
May
May 17, 1936 – 70 years ago: Rudolf Caracciola wins the Grand Prix of Tunis at an average speed of 160.3 km/h.
May 1996 – 10 years ago: The Research Division of Daimler Benz presents another vehicle with fuel cell drive, the NECAR II (New Electric Car) based on the V-Class.
June
June 12 – 15, 1976 – 30 years ago: In a 64-hour record run on the test track in Nardo, Italy, the C 111-II establishes three world records and 16 class records.
June 10 – 14, 1986 – 20 years ago: At the “transport ’86” in Munich, the O 405 T trolley bus is introduced with a novel electric propulsion system developed jointly with Dornier and AEG.
July
July 1906 – 100 years ago: In Paris, Emil Jellinek and Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft are involved in the foundation of two companies: Société des Automobiles Industrielles and Société Mercédès Electrique.
July 11, 1926 – 80 years ago: Rudolf Caracciola wins the German Grand Prix on the AVUS racetrack at an average speed of 135.2 km/h.
August
August 1886 – 120 years ago: On the River Neckar, Gottlieb Daimler undertakes the first trials with a motorboat powered by his high-speed single-cylinder engine.
August 1931 – 75 years ago: Mercedes-Benz drivers Rudolf Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch clinch four race victories in one month.
August 27, 1991 – 15 years ago: The new O 404 Mercedes Benz touring coach series is launched in Sindelfingen.
September
September 20, 1931 – 75 years ago: Victory in the Dreihotter hillclimb race once again earns Rudolf Caracciola the title of European sports-car hillclimb champion, this time on a Mercedes Benz SSKL.
September 1956 – 50 years ago: Production of the panel van and pickup versions of the light L 319 van commences at the Sindelfingen plant. Large-scale production of the O 319 minibus starts at the Mannheim plant.
October
October 29 – November 7, 1926 – 80 years ago: Daimler-Benz presents the first joint vehicle range of the newly merged company at the Berlin Motor Show.
October 1 – 11, 1936 – 70 years ago: At the Paris Motor Show, the 540 K (W 29) with a more powerful supercharged 5.4-liter engine is introduced as successor to the 500 K.
October 26 – November 5, 1961 – 45 years ago: The team of Walter Schock and Manfred Schiek wins the Argentinean Road Grand Prix for touring cars driving a Mercedes Benz 220 SE.
October 26, 1971 – 35 years ago: At the Second International Experimental Safety Vehicle Conference in Sindelfingen, Daimler Benz introduces the ESV 05.
October 3 – 13, 1996 – 10 years ago: At the Paris Motor Show, the F 200 Imagination coupe design study incorporating a large number of technical innovations is presented.
November
November 1906 – 100 years ago: The Austrian Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft presents the new Mercédès Mixte passenger car models with hybrid propulsion.
November 5, 1921 – 85 years ago: Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft applies for protection of new versions of its trademark. A patent is filed for a three-dimensional three-pointed star in a ring.
November 11, 1936 – 70 years ago: Driving a fully streamlined record car, Rudolf Caracciola establishes five international class records and one world record on a stretch of motorway between Frankfurt and Darmstadt.
November 1956 – 50 years ago: The team of rally drivers Walter Schock and Rolf Moll clinches the European touring car championship driving Mercedes Benz 220 a and 300 SL cars.
December
December 17, 1971 – 35 years ago: The experimental OG 305 natural-gas bus with a horizontally installed 172-hp six-cylinder inline engine is presented to the public.
Copyright © 2005, DaimlerChrysler AG
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