Eli M. Black (1922?-February 3, 1975) was an American businessman who controlled the United Brands Company. 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The United Brands Company was the successor to the United Fruit Company, taking the new name in 1970 after United Fruit merged with the AMK Corporation. ...

Born Elihu Menashe Blachowitz in Poland, he came to America as a child. He was a rabbi, but left the synagogue after three and a half years to enter business. He was a successful investment banker and in 1954, he was named president of the American Seal-Kap Company. American Seal Kap made the plastic liners in bottle caps, but Black turned it into a vehicle for acquisitions. He renamed the company AMK after its ticker symbol and jumped on the conglomerate bandwagon of the 1960s. Among his acquisitions was the John Morrell meatpacking company. In 1969, he took over United Fruit Company and renamed his company United Brands. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A conglomerate is a large company that consists of divisions of often seemingly unrelated businesses. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... The United Fruit Company (1899–1970) was a major American corporation that traded tropical fruit (primarily bananas and pineapples) grown in Third World plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. ...

United Fruit was not a successful acquisition because the company had far less cash than Black thought. Black was not a good manager and his company became crippled with debt. The company's losses were exacerbated by a hurricane in 1974 that destroyed its banana plantations in Honduras. In 1975, he went to his office on the forty-fourth floor of the Pan Am Building in Manhattan, bashed out the window with his briefcase, and jumped to his death on Park Avenue. He was 53. This article is about weather phenomena. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... For other meanings, see banana (disambiguation) Species Hybrid origin; see text A banana plant is a herb in the genus, Musa, which because of its size and structure, is often mistaken for a tree. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The MetLife Building in New York City The MetLife Building, formerly the Pan Am Building, is located at 200 Park Avenue in New York City. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ...

References

• "Eli Black's Rites Attended by 500." The New York Times. February 6, 1975.
• Peter Kihss. "44 Story Plunge Kills Head of United Brands." The New York Times. February 4, 1975.
• Peter T. Kilborn. "Suicide of Big Executive: Stress of Corporate Life". The New York Times. February 14, 1975.
• Thomas P. McCann. On the Inside. Beverley, Massachusetts: Quinlan Press, 1987.