Question

HistoryUrban SanitationSlippery Banana Peels

The old "slip and fall on a banana peel" routine has been a part of comedy acts for more than a hundred years. But why did people begin equating bananas with physical peril? Because banana skins once littered city streets in the United States. Bananas were first brought to the U.S. in the 1800s, and the fruit quickly became a popular snack. City populations were growing rapidly, but there wasn't much trash regulation. People simply tossed trash into the streets. Pedestrians had to shuffle through messes of peels and other garbage that were sprinkled around. At the time, cities relied on wild pigs that roamed the streets to clean up rotting food. But the animals didn't gobble up enough of the stuff to totally combat the problem. Since rotting banana peels get especially slimy, the decaying fruit flesh was soon considered a public safety hazard. A late 1800s magazine article called out those who dropped banana skins on the ground. The article said such people put others in danger. Teachers started warning children that carelessly tossing their banana peels could leave pedestrians with broken limbs and possibly permanent injuries. Tossing the peels on the ground became associated with having bad manners. Public sanitation and littering laws eventually made peel pileups a thing of the past. But the idea of slipping on a banana peel lingered. Vaudeville, a type of comedy show, is credited with inventing "slip on a peel" routines. These acts were also used in silent movies, historians say. The slippery factor of banana peels has been tested on a few modern TV shows, including an episode of "MythBusters." The findings? 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.
According to the article, why were bananas considered a public safety hazard in the 1800s?
The slippery peels piled up in the streets because there were few sanitation laws.
Bananas were considered unhealthy, and eating them was thought to be dangerous.
Bananas were not popular, and eating them was thought to be a sign of bad manners.
The slippery peels were eaten by wild pigs when they roamed the streets looking for food.

Answer 1

[AI-generated answer — Bot GPT 3.5]

The slippery peels of bananas were considered a public safety hazard in the 1800s because they littered city streets due to a lack of trash regulation. As people casually tossed their banana peels on the ground along with other garbage, pedestrians had to navigate through a mess of rotting peels and other debris. The decaying fruit flesh of banana peels got especially slimy, making them a hazard for causing slips and falls. Teachers began warning children about the dangers of carelessly discarding their banana peels, as it could lead to broken limbs and permanent injuries for unsuspecting pedestrians. Public sanitation and littering laws were eventually enforced to address the issue and prevent peel pileups from becoming a common occurrence on city streets.