QUOTES OF THE WEEK

“He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know.”
              —Lao Tzu

“Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”
              —B. Franklin

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

DEC. 22, 1900: The first Mercedes automobile is produced for a man named Emil Jellinek. Emil was a wealthy businessman who acquired so much money he was able to buy cars (then quite new and expensive) as a hobby. He moved to Nice, where he began placing orders with Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG) for newer and faster models, which he entered in races—first and foremost of which was Nice week. Emil soon became well connected with the top echelons of society and began promoting and selling Daimler cars to aristocrats and other successful businessmen.
               In 1889, Emil had a daughter, whom he named Mercedes (a Spanish girls’ name meaning “grace”). He entered Nice week under a pseudonym, using his daughter’s name; in this way, he soon came to be known as “Monsieur Mercédès.” By mid 1900, Emil had concluded a deal with Daimler in which Mercedes was to be used as a product name on a new, 35 horsepower engine. The first car to be outfitted with this new Mercedes engine was delivered to Emil on December 22, 1900.
               The new Mercedes cars attracted enormous attention at Nice week in 1901, since they beat the competition at nearly everything; this resulted in a flood of orders that stretched the Daimler production plant to full capacity.
               Mercedes was legally registered as the car’s name on September 26, 1902. The following year, Emil started calling himself Emil Jellinek-Mercedes, and commented: “This is probably the first time that a father has taken his daughter’s name.” Emil remained interested in automotive engineering developments until his death on January 21, 1918.
Source: www.daimlerchrysler.com.