5 Two Unhappy Firsts

People enjoy talking about “firsts.” They like to remember their first love or their first car. But not all firsts are happy ones. Some involve accidents or other sad events. Few people enjoy recalling the firsts that are bad.

One of history’s bad but important firsts was the first car accident. Autos were still young when it happened. The crash took place in New York City. The year was 1896. The month was May. A man from Massachusetts was visiting the city in his new car. At the time, bicycle riders were still trying to get used to the new sets of wheels on the road.

In the accident, no one is sure who was at fault. In any case, the bike and the car collided. The man on the bike was injured. The driver of the car had to stay in jail and wait for the hospital report on the bicycle rider. Luckily, the rider was not killed.

Three years later, another automobile first took place. The scene was again New York City. A real estate broker named Henry Bliss stepped off a streetcar. He was hit by a passing car. Once again, no one is sure just how it happened or whose fault it was. The driver of the car was put in jail. Poor Mr. Bliss became the first person to die in a car accident.

人们喜欢谈论“第一次”。他们喜欢回忆自己的初恋或第一辆车。但并非所有的“第一次”都是快乐的。有些涉及事故或其他悲伤的事件。很少有人喜欢回忆那些糟糕的“第一次”。

历史上糟糕但重要的“第一次”之一是第一次车祸。事故发生时，汽车还很“年轻”（刚出现不久）。这次碰撞发生在纽约市。时间是1896年5月。一位来自马萨诸塞州的男士开着他的新车在这座城市游览。当时，自行车骑行者仍在努力适应道路上这些新的车轮（指汽车）。

在这次事故中，没人确定是谁的责任。无论如何，自行车和汽车相撞了。骑自行车的人受伤了。汽车司机不得不待在监狱里，等待自行车骑行者的医院报告。幸运的是，骑行者没有丧生。

三年后，另一个汽车领域的“第一次”发生了。场景再次是纽约市。一位名叫亨利·布利斯的房地产经纪人从有轨电车上下来。他被一辆路过的汽车撞倒了。又一次，没人确切知道事情是怎么发生的，也不知道是谁的责任。汽车司机被送进了监狱。可怜的布利斯先生成了第一个在车祸中丧生的人。