Right, let's get this show on the road then. Time for you to learn some general knowledge. For you to gain a cool fact that you can pull out for work colleagues on your lunch break.
The high five, where did it come from?
Well mate, sorry to disappoint you but sadly there's no solid answer. There are several people who claim to have invented it and all we can say for certain is that the high five originated in the United States during the late 1970s, in the sports of baseball or basketball.
However, there are two leading contenders for the title of 'world's first high fiver' and for the sake of simplicity I'm just going to explain them two, rather than explain all of them, because we'd be here all day.
This video is pretty much #Goals for anyone into high fiving. Credit: Newsflare
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So without further ado, introducing...
CONTENDER NUMBER 1
Image credit: Wikipedia
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Name: Glenn Burke
Who is he: A Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics he was an outfielder from 1976 to 1979, he is also the first and only player to come out as gay during his professional career.
His claim in short: That he invented the high five on Oct. 2, 1977, in front of 46,000 screaming fans at Dodger Stadium.
His claim in long: On the last day of the regular season and LA Dodgers leftfielder Dusty Baker hit a home run against Houston Astros.
It was Baker's 30th home run, making the Dodgers the first team in history to have four player - Baker, Ron Cey, Steve Garvey and Reggie Smith - with at least 30 homer run hitters each.
It was a big moment for the Dodgers as it meant they were heading into the playoffs. As Glenn Burke approached Baker - who was next in to bat - he thrust his hand over his head to greet his friend. Then Baker, not knowing what to do, hit it.
"His hand was up in the air, and he was arching way back," Baker told ESPN. "So I reached up and hit his hand. It seemed like the thing to do."
Burke then stepped up and launched another home run. And as he returned to the dugout, Baker high fived him. From there it caught on around the world.
CONTENDER NUMBER 2
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Name: Derek Smith
Who is he: A basketball player who was a forward for the Louisville Cardinals during the late 70s.
His claim in short: During the 1978-79 season, forward Wiley Brown went to give a low five - already a thing - to his teammate Derek Smith. But Smith looked Brown in the eye and said: "no, up high."
His claim in long: So the Louisville Cardinals were known as the 'Doctors of Dunk' in the 70 because they loved dunking and playing above the rim. Brown thought that the low five went against the 'vertical' character of their team, so he pulled the ol' switcharoo.
"I thought, yeah, why are we staying down low? We jump so high," Brown told ESPN.
Brown insists it was Smith who invented the high five and spread it around the country.
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***
So there we have it, I guess it's up to you to decide which you think is the most likely. Contender number one came first in terms of date so I guess unless you think that story is bullshit that's the most likely.
Either that or you might make your decision based on which you like more, basketball or baseball - personally I think they're both shit.
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Featured image credit: PA Images
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