In?the past, the postal service system was a?great way of?ensuring packages were delivered at?affordable prices and relatively quickly. However, at?some point, people began sending the most unusual items like animals, coffins, eggs, and even?people.
在過去，郵政服務(wù)系統(tǒng)是確保包裹以可接受的價(jià)格和相對(duì)較快的速度送達(dá)目的地的重要途徑。然而，有時(shí)候，人們郵寄很不可思議的物品，如動(dòng)物、棺材、雞蛋，甚至是人。

We'd like to?share the strange things people managed to?send through the postal system. Make sure you don't miss the bonus at?the end.
讓我們來分享一下人們通過郵政郵寄的奇怪的東西。確保你不會(huì)錯(cuò)過最后的驚喜。

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1. Mary Pierstoff, the child mailed to?visit her grandmother.
1. 瑪麗·皮爾斯朵夫，這個(gè)孩子被郵寄去看望她的祖母

The most surprising use of?the postal service occurred in?1914, when a?4-year-old girl named Mary was mailed to?her?grandmother?from Grangeville to?Lewiston in?Idaho. The girls’ parents claimed that the postage was much cheaper than a?train?ticket.
郵政服務(wù)最驚人的用途發(fā)生在1914年，一個(gè)名叫瑪麗的4歲女孩被郵寄給了她的祖母，從格蘭維爾到愛達(dá)荷州的路易斯頓。女孩的父母稱郵費(fèi)比火車票便宜得多。

Mary weighed around 48.5 lbs which was below the 50?lb weight limit, and since there were no?restrictions about mailing people, they stamped and mailed her. A?couple of?years later, other stories came up?of?parents who occasionally sent their children via mail, thanks to?the postal workers who let it?slide.
瑪麗的體重約為48.5磅，低于50磅的限制，由于沒有不能郵寄人的限制，他們就給她蓋了章，然后郵寄了她。幾年后，又出現(xiàn)了一些父母偶爾通過郵件給孩子寄信的故事，這多虧了郵局的工作人員。

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2. The mailed Hope diamond that was worth $1?million.
2. 郵寄的鉆石價(jià)值100萬美元。

The famous million-dollar Hope?Diamond?that was estimated to?have 45.52 carats was sent via mail in?a?plain brown box when its?owner?and?gem?dealer, Harry Winston, passed away. He?trusted the postal system enough to?send it?from New York City to?the Museum of?NaturalHistory.
據(jù)估計(jì)，這顆價(jià)值百萬美元的鉆石重達(dá)45.52克拉。它的主人是珠寶商Harry Winston，當(dāng)Harry去世時(shí)，這顆鉆石被裝在一個(gè)普通的棕色盒子里郵寄出去。他非常信任郵政系統(tǒng)，由此它從紐約市被送往自然歷史博物館。

The post cost him only $2.44, plus an?added insurance cost of?$142.85 for the million-dollar necklace. Luckily, the letter carrier who was responsible picked up?the package, drove it?themselves, and ensured that it?got delivered to?Leonard, who was the secretary at?the Smithsonian Institution.
這條價(jià)值百萬美元的項(xiàng)鏈只花了他2.44美元，外加142.85美元的額外保險(xiǎn)費(fèi)。幸運(yùn)的是，負(fù)責(zé)此事的郵遞員拿起了包裹，自己開車送去，并確保它被送到了Leonard手中，Leonard是史密森學(xué)會(huì)的秘書。

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3. People would sneak fish through the post office.
3. 人們會(huì)偷偷地把魚放進(jìn)包裹寄出去。

A?few other strange things that have been mailed are?fish. Both living and dead fish have been sent via mail in?the past.
其他一些被郵寄的奇怪東西是魚。在過去，活魚和死魚都郵寄過。

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4. A?pet chameleon was sent to?live elsewhere since the owner's home was too cold.
4. 一只變色龍寵物因?yàn)橹魅说募姨涠凰偷絼e處居住。

In?December of?1954, David, a?man from Fostoria, Ohio, sent a?letter to?a?post master in?Orlando, Florida. In?the letter, he?stated that he?was sending his chameleon from Ohio since it?was too cold for him and when it?would arrive in?Orlando it?should be?set?free. He?also asked that they let him know if?the animal arrived safely and when it?did, the post master sent him his best Christmas wishes.
1954年12月，來自俄亥俄州福斯托里亞的戴維給佛羅里達(dá)州的奧蘭多的一位郵政局長寫了一封信。在信中，他說他要把他的變色龍寵物從俄亥俄州寄過去，因?yàn)閷?duì)變色龍來說這太冷了，當(dāng)變色龍到達(dá)奧蘭多時(shí)，可以放生出去。戴維還要求他們，當(dāng)這只動(dòng)物安全抵達(dá)時(shí)，應(yīng)及時(shí)通知他。最后，當(dāng)這只變色龍安全抵達(dá)時(shí)，郵政局長給他送上了最好的圣誕祝福。

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5. A?cat got sent through a?pneumatic tube.
5. 一只貓通過一個(gè)充氣管道被郵寄出去了。

The pneumatic system was built in?the 1800s to?deliver mail across New York City at?a?faster pace. The systems were located 4?to?6ft below the city’s?surface?and women and men who handled the tubes were known as?“rocketeers.” However, in?1897, some operators wanted to?test the speed of?the system.
該氣壓系統(tǒng)建于19世紀(jì)，用于以更快的速度在紐約市投遞郵件。這些系統(tǒng)位于城市地表以下4到6英尺的地方，操縱這些氣壓系統(tǒng)的工人被稱為“火箭人”。然而，在1897年，一些操作員想要測(cè)試這個(gè)系統(tǒng)的速度。

They decided to?place a?live catinside one of?the tubes and send it?through. Luckily, it?survived and they proved it?was possible.
他們決定把一只活貓放在其中一個(gè)管子里，然后把它送過去。幸運(yùn)的是，這只貓幸存了下來，他們證明了這是郵寄方式是可行的。

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