I'll speak of the experience in the US, where requirements vary substantially from state to state, but in general there's no such requirement even today. Many states permit drivers to be licensed at a younger age if they've taken a drivers education course, but in general an adult can simply present themselves for the written and driving test and—if they pass—be licensed.

Even that's a relatively modern requirement. As late as the 1960s, in several states, in the memorable words of an Insurance Institute magazine ad of the time, to get a drivers license the only thing someone had to pass was a mailbox. By the early 1970s, however, testing was common for all new drivers licenses.

The early decades of driving were less about traffic regulations and more about mastering the motor skills and coordination to operate automobiles, which were nearly all manual transmission and some of which had other complex controls. That contributed to the early popularity of electric cars for women, and as late as the 1950s, to notably fewer women than men who drove. In 1963, 60% of licensed drivers were male.

This 1966 National Education Association paper has a good historical overview of how driver education got started in public schools.