What is the origin of the high five? - Big Questions - (Ep. 27)

Hi, I'm Craig. High five. Too slow? Way too slow. We shot this like a month ago

And this is Mental Floss on YouTube. Today I'm going to answer Jacob Shields' big question. What is the origin of the high five? Well, just like the origin of the hot dog

this is a controversial question. Why are you guys always getting me in trouble? But you know what? We don't shy away from the tough ones around here

so I'm going to explain possible high five origins. Let's get started

It's worth noting that a few similar gestures existed before the high five was invented

For example, the low five was very popular during the jazz age when it was known as slapping skin

Let's start with one popular story about the high five's origin that you may have heard, but is definitely a myth

It goes that the high five came from a group of friends who called themselves the five. They had been in Vietnam together in the 60s and invented the high five as an inside joke

The story has been spread around a lot in recent years, but it was invented by a comedy writer around 2002

What a funny comedy writer. So what are more likely stories? Well, I will tell you two possibilities

Story number one goes that it was invented by baseball player Glenn Burke on October 2nd 1977 At the time he played for the LA Dodgers and during their game that day Burke was on deck when his friend Dusty Baker got his 30th home run Burke lifted an arm into the sky when Baker returned Baker wasn sure

how to react, so he did what I do when I'm confused, and he slapped it. Then Burke went

up to bat and got his first ever major league home run. Afterwards, he was met with a high-five

from Baker. I like that story. I hope it's true. Story number two is that it was invented

by University of Louisville Cardinals basketball player Derek Smith during a practice in the

1978-79 season. His teammate Wiley Brown tried to give him a low five but Smith insisted

No! Up high! The team adopted it as a symbol of their high jumping. I'm not sure he was

that angry. I just... I add color to the things I say sometimes

Whether or not the Cardinals invented the high five, it probably got its name thanks to them. During the 1980 NCAA final, announcer Al McGuire said

Mr. Brown came to play! And they're giving him the high five handshake! High five

And that was the first time anyone called it that. Thanks for watching Mental Floss on YouTube, which was made with the help of these nice people

High five. Nope? Okay. If you have a big question of your own that you'd like answered, leave it below in the comments

Slap me some skin! I didn't know someone was actually going to do that