The Unfortunate Sex Life of the Banana

The world's most humble fruit has caused inordinate damage to nature and man. Seedless, sexless bananas evolved from a wild inedible fruit first cultivated in Southeast Asia, and was probably the apple that got Adam and Eve in trouble in the Garden of Eden. From there the fruit traveled to Africa and across the Pacific, arriving on U.S. shores probably with the Europeans in the 15th century. However, the history of the banana turned sinister as American businessmen caught on to the marketability of this popular, highly perishable fruit then grown in Jamaica. Thanks to the building of the railroad through Costa Rica by the turn of the century, the United Fruit company flourished in Central America, its tentacles extending into all facets of government and industry, toppling banana republics and igniting labour wars. But now there is big trouble on the horizon.

Damn Interesting • The Unfortunate Sex Life of the Banana

If that article interested you and you want a little more in-depth stuff about the evil banana barons then read this:

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-06/can-fruit-be-saved and this: www.smithsonianmag.com/people-places/banana.html