The Strange History of Injuries Sustained by Slipping on a Banana Peel in the US Between 1867 and 2013

John Bois of Secret Base shared his own experience of slipping on a banana peel on Broadway in Brooklyn near Bed-Stuy in 2018 before launching into the strange injuries sustained from this kind of incident since the introduction of the tropical fruit. Bois notes that the accidents first started in New York City in 1867 but quickly spread across the United States.

This is an American story. What we have here is a non-exhaustive compendium of banana peel slips and falls throughout the United States that were documented in newspapers. We are now going to relive the history of America’s complex relationship with the dreaded banana peel.

Bois also addresses famous banana peel slippers such as the very unlucky William Lytle of San Francisco, con woman “Banana” Anna Sturla of New York City, and others who weren’t so honest about their slips, while also making the point that these accidents have decreased immensely with time.

Despite my Broadway encounter with the banana peel years ago, I do not fear it while I walk down the street. If you walk down this street eating a banana peel five minutes before I did, I trust that you didn’t drop it on the ground for me to slip on. …If we’re going to spend all the time we do dwelling on all the ways in which we’re losing, it is just as necessary to celebrate our collective victories, no matter how small.

via Miss Cellania