The old "slip and fall on a banana peel" act is nothing new. It's been a part of comedy shows for more than a hundred years. But why did people begin thinking bananas were dangerous?
Because the peels once piled up in city streets.
Bananas were first brought to the United States in the 1800s. The fruit quickly became a popular snack. At the time, cities were growing rapidly, but there weren't many laws about trash. It was simply tossed into the streets. People had to shuffle through messes of peels and other garbage.
At the time, cities used wild pigs to clean the streets. The pigs roamed around and ate rotting food. But the animals didn't gobble up enough to stop the problem. Rotting banana peels get slimy. So, the spoiled fruit was seen as a public safety risk.
A late 1800s magazine article scolded people who dropped banana skins on the ground. Teachers started warning children about this habit. Carelessly tossing banana peels was dangerous. It could leave others with broken limbs. People came to think that those who tossed the peels on the ground had bad manners.
Laws later made peel pileups a thing of the past. But the idea of slipping on a banana peel stuck around. Vaudeville helped make this happen. Vaudeville is a type of comedy show. It's credited with inventing "slip on a peel" routines. These acts were also used in silent movies, historians say.
So, how slippery are banana peels, anyway? People have explored this question on some TV shows, including "MythBusters." What did they find out? Banana peels can be super slippery, but they don't always cause falls. Still, to be on the safe side, it's best not to step on them.
QUESTION 1
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What is this article mainly about?
The history of comedy shows and movies in the U.S.
The writing of public laws and practices in U.S. cities
The history of slippery banana peels in U.S. cities
The testing of food myths on television shows in the U.S.