Did You Know That Bananas Nearly Caused A War?

Welcome to April 15, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate fruits that come out on top and strange coincidences. 

One of our favorite fruits is so popular that people actually went to war over it. In the early 1900s, bananas became a hot commodity. The United Fruit Company owned plantations across Central America and the demand for this fruit helped them to build a huge empire. The company got so big that it was more powerful than the government in these countries. So when United Fruit and the government of Honduras began to argue over who controlled the fruit trade in that country, war broke out. Ultimately, with an assist from the US army, the corporation came out on top. On National Banana Day, enjoy one of these delicious fruits, but there’s no need to fight over them. There’s plenty to go around. 

Around 1900 the largest ship in the world struck an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank.  The lives of countless passengers were claimed in the disaster.  This story sounds familiar to anyone who has seen the film Titanic, but it’s actually the plot of a novel by Morgan Robertson called The Wreck Of The Titan.  Astonishingly, this book was written 14 years before the real life sinking of the Titanic and the similarities are eerie to say the least!  Both ships were about the same size.  They sank in the same part of the Atlantic during the month of April and many passengers died in the icy waters due to the lack of available lifeboats.  On National Titanic Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of the 1,500 souls who perished and continue to marvel at the unusual coincidence that makes it all the more somber.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.