The eighteen months long Russo Japanese War, from Feb 8, 1904 to Sept 5, 1905, stunned Russia and scored a win for Japan. One of daughters of tsar Nicholas II (r. 1894-1917) said of Japanese people, “I thought they were only like monkeys”, wrote Helen Rappaport, in her book The Romanov Sisters (2014).
This reference made me to think of an ice hockey fan threw a banana at Philadelphia Flyers Wayne Simmonds in 2011, against Detroit Red Wings. Simmonds is one of handful black player (their number is on the rise) on NHL, which is predominate by white players. Did the fan mean to insult Simmonds, or in a heat of the moment, just threw out whatever was in his or her hand? Only the thrower would know. Of course the league has condemned the act.
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