Today in History - June 18 | Banana company pushes US into approving military coup
At the behest of the world's largest banana company, the United States launched a coup d'etat on the government of Guatemala on June 18, 1954.
The United Fruit Company (UFC) had held enormous power in Guatemala up until the election of Jacobo Arbenz.
The UFC was by far the largest landowner in the Central American country, but Arbenz's agrarian reforms transferred land into the hands of peasants.
As a result, the UFC successfully lobbied the US government to covertly oust Arbenz.
President Dwight Eisenhower approved the coup at the behest of Secretary of State Allen Dulles, who previously worked for UFC.
The CIA-trained force of only a few hundred soldiers were dramatically outnumbered by Guatemala's military.
But they were able to take over when the military lost willingness to confront them and turned on Arbenz.
The military held a tight control on Guatemala's government for decades afterwards.
The UFC regained much of its influence and power after the coup, but its reputation was permanently damaged.
The coup led to severe reprisals against Communists and trade union leaders, especially those working on UFC banana plantations.
In Guatemala City during the coup was 25-year-old political activist Che Guevara.
"The last Latin American revolutionary democracy – that of Jacobo Árbenz – failed as a result of the cold premeditated aggression carried out by the United States," Guevara said.
"Its visible head was the Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, a man who, through a rare coincidence, was also a stockholder and attorney for the United Fruit Company."
Guevara concluded revolution through democratic means was no longer possible.
He later became a powerful figure in the Communist forces that took over Cuba several years later.
US man Jeremy Harper began his world record attempt to count aloud to one million on June 18, 2007.
Harper livestreamed himself counting out loud for 16 hours a day.
In his effort, he did not shave or leave his house.
At about the 700,000 mark, his girlfriend left him.
But 89 days later he finished his task.
Along the way he lost 14kg and grew a two-inch long beard.
To celebrate his achievement, he did the chicken dance.
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