People who have slipped on banana peels
I came across a 1927 case of a cliche come to life — a thief fleeing on foot who was caught because he accidentally slipped on a banana peel, which sent him sprawling.
I figured that Chuck must have documented cases of people who have slipped on banana peels, and sure enough he has.
• 2011 — Ida Valentine, who filed a lawsuit against a California 99 Cents Only store after slipping on a banana peel and suffering a herniated disk. (posted here on WU)
• 2007 — Joyce Walker, awarded $4,110 for injuring her knee in a hospital restroom after slipping on a banana peel. (newsoftheweird.com)
• 2001 — Dorothy M. Ellis Williams, who sued a Quiktrip gas station after she slipped on a banana peel on the pavement outside their store and injured her back and knee. (google groups)
MythBusters has investigated whether you can really slip on a banana peel, and they concluded that although it's not as easy to do as the cliche might suggest, it's definitely possible. Older skins are more slippery. They also note that the cliche originated in the early 20th century after bananas first became a popular fruit, which led to numerous old skins littering sidewalks, and therefore numerous accidents.
Also, back in March 2016 it briefly became a fad among teenagers to take videos of themselves slipping on banana peels and then post the videos online. It was called the "banana peel challenge" #bananapeelchallenge. (Daily Mail)
New Cambria Leader - Nov 11, 1927
I figured that Chuck must have documented cases of people who have slipped on banana peels, and sure enough he has.
• 2011 — Ida Valentine, who filed a lawsuit against a California 99 Cents Only store after slipping on a banana peel and suffering a herniated disk. (posted here on WU)
• 2007 — Joyce Walker, awarded $4,110 for injuring her knee in a hospital restroom after slipping on a banana peel. (newsoftheweird.com)
• 2001 — Dorothy M. Ellis Williams, who sued a Quiktrip gas station after she slipped on a banana peel on the pavement outside their store and injured her back and knee. (google groups)
MythBusters has investigated whether you can really slip on a banana peel, and they concluded that although it's not as easy to do as the cliche might suggest, it's definitely possible. Older skins are more slippery. They also note that the cliche originated in the early 20th century after bananas first became a popular fruit, which led to numerous old skins littering sidewalks, and therefore numerous accidents.
Also, back in March 2016 it briefly became a fad among teenagers to take videos of themselves slipping on banana peels and then post the videos online. It was called the "banana peel challenge" #bananapeelchallenge. (Daily Mail)
Photo by Sandman_KK (via Flickr)
Comments
Then there's this: https://youtu.be/wvhgCdZ-wOk
Posted by Vernon Balbert on 07/03/16 at 09:12 AM
Well you can use bananas to launch a ship:
http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/banana-launched_ship/
http://www.weirduniverse.net/blog/comments/banana-launched_ship/
Posted by BMN on 07/03/16 at 09:59 AM
There's the giant future banana routine in Sleeper:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfrShu_Lp2A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfrShu_Lp2A
Posted by Virtual on 07/03/16 at 01:53 PM
From the Inflation Calculator, that would equate to about 560.00 hanging out of her pocket. I love the verb PLUMP used twice in succession. When she landed on his shoulder blades, was he face up? Suggestive...
The next set of ladies plumped on his stomach. Were they plump?
The oddest thing, to me, is the way the following sentence was written, sort of backwards, if you ask me, but also sort of comedic. Maybe that's why the original editor left it in.
"He was found to have 29 scratches and seven convictions for picking pockets."
The next set of ladies plumped on his stomach. Were they plump?
The oddest thing, to me, is the way the following sentence was written, sort of backwards, if you ask me, but also sort of comedic. Maybe that's why the original editor left it in.
"He was found to have 29 scratches and seven convictions for picking pockets."
Posted by Greg on 07/04/16 at 07:53 AM
Greg -- the wording of the article definitely is a bit odd. But when I reread it, it says "Plump on his shoulder blades landed Weissman." Weissman was the name of the thief. So I think that's saying he did the classic banana-peel skid and landed on his back, face up. Then several women landed "plump on his stomach."
Posted by Alex on 07/04/16 at 09:10 AM
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.
Category: Accidents | 1920s | Bananas