History of Banana in Timeline

A banana is an edible fruit, botanically classified as a berry, that grows from treelike herbaceous flowering plants of the genus Musa. Distinctions are made between dessert bananas and cooking bananas (plantains). Bananas vary in size, color, and firmness, generally featuring an elongated, curved shape with soft, starchy flesh encased in a peel that changes color upon ripening. They grow in upward clusters. Modern seedless bananas are cultivated from two wild species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, or their hybrids.

1910: Banana Peel Slip Comedy Routine

In 1910, An American comedy recording featured the character "Uncle Josh" describing slipping on a banana peel.

1913: Banana in de Chirico's Painting

In 1913, Giorgio de Chirico's painting "The Uncertainty of the Poet" used the banana's suggestively phallic shape in artworks.

1923: Release of "Yes! We Have No Bananas"

In 1923, the song "Yes! We Have No Bananas" by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn was released. It became the best-selling sheet music in history.

1925: Abacá Cultivation in Sumatra

In 1925, abacá was first cultivated on a large scale in Sumatra under the Dutch.

1929: Abacá Plantings in Central America

In 1929, abacá plantings started in Central America sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

1947: Cheesman's Reclassification of Bananas

Starting in 1947, Ernest Cheesman published a series of papers demonstrating that Linnaeus's Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca were cultivars and descendants of Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana and recommended abolishing Linnaeus's species in favor of reclassifying bananas according to morphologically distinct groups of cultivars.

1955: Genome-Based Nomenclature System Proposed

In 1955, Norman Simmonds and Ken Shepherd proposed a genome-based nomenclature system, which aimed to eliminate inconsistencies in banana classification. However, the original names are still recognized by some authorities, leading to confusion.

1960: Cavendish Replaces Gros Michel

Prior to 1960, almost all commercial banana production centered on the Gros Michel cultivar, which was highly susceptible to Panama disease. Cavendish was chosen as its replacement because it produces the highest quality fruit among resistant cultivars.

1963: First Observation of Black Sigatoka

Black sigatoka, a fungal leaf spot disease, was first observed in Fiji in either 1963 or 1964. It has since spread to banana plantations throughout the tropics.

1964: First Observation of Black Sigatoka

Black sigatoka, a fungal leaf spot disease, was first observed in Fiji in either 1963 or 1964. It has since spread to banana plantations throughout the tropics.

1967: "The Velvet Underground & Nico" Album Cover

In 1967, the debut album of The Velvet Underground featured a banana made by Andy Warhol on the cover. The design allowed the listener to "peel" this banana to find a pink, peeled banana on the inside.

1989: Guerilla Girls' Screenprint

In 1989, the feminist Guerilla Girls created a screenprint with two bananas arranged to form a "0" to answer the question in the artwork, "How many works by women artists were in the Andy Warhol and Tremaine auctions at Sotheby's?".

1993: Discovery of Fusarium Wilt TR4

In 1993, Fusarium wilt TR4, a reinvigorated strain of Panama disease, was discovered. This form of Fusarium wilt has devastated Cavendish plantations in southeast Asia and spread to Australia and India.

1995: Development of the Banana Equivalent Dose

In 1995, the banana equivalent dose of radiation was developed as a simple teaching-tool to educate the public about the natural, small amount of K-40 radiation occurring in everyone and in common foods.

2000: Questionable Banana Phytoliths Date

Around 2000 BC, an introduction date is unlikely as this was long before there was any evidence of agriculture in East Africa. Polyploid banana cultivars are sterile and do not spread without human cultivation.

2000: Possible Early Dispersal of Bananas

Around 2000 BCE, Phytoliths recovered from the Kot Diji archaeological site in Pakistan suggested that bananas were known to the Indus Valley civilisation. This may indicate very early dispersal of bananas by Austronesian traders by sea.

2001: Banana Bacterial Wilt in Uganda

In 2001, Banana bacterial wilt was first seen in Uganda affecting all banana cultivars. Since then it has been diagnosed in Central and East Africa.

2003: Denham et al. Investigation on Banana Domestication

Various investigations like Denham et al. in 2003, determined that by the early to middle Holocene era, the domestication process of Bananas was complete.

2009: Cavendish Bananas Face Disease Threats

In 2009, disease threatened the production of the Cavendish banana worldwide. Researchers started focusing on creating a disease-resistant banana, like the Taiwanese Cavendish or Formosana, through hybridization and genetic engineering.

2011: Phylogenomic Analysis of Musaceae Family

In 2011, a phylogenomic analysis using nuclear genes revealed the phylogeny of some representatives of the Musaceae family, highlighting major edible kinds of bananas.

2013: World Exports of Bananas and Plantains

As reported for 2013, total world exports were 20 million tonnes of bananas and 859,000 tonnes of plantains. Ecuador and the Philippines were the leading exporters.

2016: Growth of Certified Banana Production

By 2016, banana production certified by voluntary sustainability standards like Rainforest Alliance and Fairtrade represented 36% of banana exports, primarily in countries focused on the export market.

2018: Bananas Lead in Fruit Export Volume

As of 2018, bananas are exported in larger volume and to a larger value than any other fruit.

2019: Cattelan's "Comedian" Art Piece

In 2019, Maurizio Cattelan created a concept art piece titled "Comedian" involving taping a banana to a wall with silver duct tape. It was briefly exhibited at Art Basel in Miami before being eaten by another artist in a stunt titled "Hungry Artist".

2019: Controversy over Natalia LL's Exhibition

In 2019, an exhibition of Natalia LL's video and photographs at the National Museum in Warsaw was taken down and the museum's director reprimanded because the video showed a woman "sucking on a banana".

2022: India and China Leading Banana Producers

In 2022, India and China were the world's largest producers of bananas, accounting for approximately 26% of total global production.

2022: World Production of Bananas and Plantains

In 2022, world production of bananas and plantains combined was 179 million tonnes, led by India and China with a combined total of 26% of global production.

2024: Global Warming Threatens Banana Supply

In 2024, the economist Pascal Liu of the FAO described the impact of global warming as an "enormous threat" to the world supply of bananas.

2024: Identification of M. acuminata Subspecies

In 2024, work identified three subspecies of M. acuminata (banksii, malaccensis, and zebrina) as contributing to the subgenomes of triploid cultivated bananas.

July 2025: 85 Musa Species Recognized

As of July 2025, Plants of the World Online recognizes approximately 85 species of Musa. Several produce edible fruit, while others are cultivated as ornamentals.