查尔斯·布雷迪·金开创性的“无马之车”

Charles Brady King, an American engineer and entrepreneur test drove his first gasoline-powered car in Detroit, Michigan, US, in front of hundreds of spectators at speeds up to 7 mph, becoming the first man to drive a car in the Motor City. A Sintz engine powered the car. While driving up and down Woodward Avenue, his Horseless Carriage broke down, and spectators responded by telling him to “get a horse”. The following report appeared in the Detroit Journal the next day: “The first horseless carriage seen in this city was out on the streets last night. The apparatus seemed to work all right and it went at the rate of five or six miles an hour at an even rate of speed.” Following the car intently on a bicycle through the cold, snowy Detroit streets was a lean, 32-year-old mechanical engineer who worked for the Edison Illuminating Co. His name was Henry Ford.

1896年3月6日，美国工程师和企业家查尔斯·布雷迪·金(Charles Brady King)在美国密歇根州底特律市试驾了他的第一辆汽油动力汽车，在数百名观众面前以每小时7英里的速度行驶，成为第一个在汽车城驾驶汽车的人。辛茨发动机为这辆汽车提供动力。当他在伍德沃德大道上来回行驶时，他的无马之车抛锚了，在场的观众们对他说“还是去找匹马吧！”第二天，《底特律日报》发表了以下报道: “昨晚，这座城市出现了第一辆无马之车。这台机器似乎运转正常，它以每小时五六英里的速度匀速行驶。”在底特律寒冷多雪的街道上，一位瘦高的32岁机械工程师骑着一辆自行车紧跟着这辆车。他在爱迪生照明公司(Edison Illumating Co.)工作，他的名字叫亨利·福特。

注：亨利·福特（Henry Ford），福特汽车公司的建立者，世界上第一位使用流水线大批量生产汽车的人。亨利·福特的生产方式使汽车成为一种大众产品，不但革新了工业生产方式，而且对现代社会和文化产生了巨大的影响。

编译 / 周伟平

审核 / 吴丹

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