A brief history of the gesture of the ‘High Five’
The act where at least two people simultaneously fully extend their arms in the air and then slap hands is now a universally recognised gesture of celebration known as the ‘high five’. But where did it come from and when did it start?
It will probably seem to the younger generation that the ‘high five’ has been around forever. However, the description of the act actually only entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1980. Unsurprisingly, there are a good number of versions as to how the ‘high five’ actually came about. However, almost all the versions of events as to the origins of the act, arise from the American sporting arena.
Many people believe that the first-ever ‘high five’ took place on October 2, 1977. This was between Glenn Burke and Dusty Baker when they were playing baseball for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was the last day of the season at the Dodger Stadium when Dusty Baker hit a home run that created baseball history. It was the first time ever that four players in the same team were to finish the season having scored at least 30 home runs each. Burke, who was the follow-on batter, raised his hand triumphantly in the air towards Baker to congratulate him. He then returned the gesture and they smacked hands. The high five was born.
Or was it? Another version of the invention of the high five credits Louisville Cardinals basketball players Wiley Brown and Derek Smith with it during the 1978-79 season. According to their teammates, Brown went to give a regular ‘low five’ to Smith during a practice session. The low five had been a hand gesture popular among African-Americans since World War II. Instead of returning the low five, Smith told Brown they should carry out the gesture “Up high”. The act was meant as a reflection on the Dodgers style of play. The first high five?
Both stories are well-known throughout the USA. However, there are a number of accounts of high fives occurring in other sports in even earlier times. Whatever the truth behind the origin of the gesture, the high five is now well and truly part of western popular culture that seems to be here to stay.
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