Didnyou ever wonder who invented the high five?
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nWell,nthe gesture of slapping another person’s upraised hand may be as oldnas humanity—nobody is sure about that!—but calling it a high-fivenis probably modern. n
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| Brown and Smith |
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nBasketballnplayers Wiley Brown and Derek Smith claim they created the high fivenin 1979, but there is also a story about basketball player LamontnSleets inventing the gesture based on something that happened to himnwhen he was a kid. (Turns out, this story was a hoax!)
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| Burke and teammate Dusty Baker |
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nAnotherncontender for the honor of having invented the high five is GlennnBurke, a super friendly baseball player who played for the LosnAngeles Dodgers. He is said to have invented the gesture in 1977.
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nProbablynit is one of those things that was independently invented severalntimes. At any rate, the high five caught on and spread all over thenworld. It burst out of basketball and baseball into all other sports,nand it burst out of sports into everyday life. People high five toncelebrate a great hit, a score, a win, a good performance, a largensale, a high test score, and so much more. It can be a sort ofn“congrats” gesture from someone who had nothing to do with thensuccess, or it can be a triumphant “I did it!” gesture from thenperson who succeeded.
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nThenNational High Five Project is a fundraiser to fight cancer. You cannregister to participate by pledging that you will give high-fives,nand by getting family and friends to sponsor your high-fiving. Thenmoney goes to a reputable charity that is involved in cancer researchnand treatment. n
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nBynthe way…
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nSomengestures are not worldwide. Check out this link toncompare Japanese and American gestures.
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nAlsonon this date:
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nWorld Amateur Radio Day
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PaulnRevere Day in the U.S. n
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Birthdaynof lawyer Clarence Darrow (famousnbecause of the “Monkey Trial” about teaching evolution)n
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nAnniversarynof the publishing of the first crossword puzzle book
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nAnniversarynof Albert Einstein’s death
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