We're left wondering, what would happen if you were to treat a good idea like an infectious disease? Could you trace it back to one individual, and one flash of insight? Jon Mooallem tells us about his quest to track down the origin of the high five--a story that starts with one of the most celebratory gestures imaginable ... and ends with a choice that pits a happy ending against a more complicated reality. Lutha Davis, Greg Harrell-Edge, Nolan Smith, and Kathy Gregory all weigh in with competing explanations. And Tim Hemmes and Katie Schaffer tell a moving story about the power of their very own first high five.
All this leaves us with an inevitable, but unsettling question. A question that Jonnie Hughes helps answer with a broadminded look at the history of the cowboy hat.
Read More:
Jonnie Hughes, The Origin of Teepees
Debbie Henderson, Hat Talk
Tim Hemmes and Katie Schaffer give each other a high five (listen before you watch the video):
- “The history and mystery of the high five” Jon Mooallem's article for EPSN The Magazine
Comments [5]
I recently watched The Wild One (1953). There is a very clear high five in the scene where members of Black Rebels Motorcycle Club are showing Jimmy the ill-fated dishwasher various greeting rituals. I didn't quite catch the name they gave it.
A while after listening to this episode,I stumbled upon a video of Cab Calloway performing "Minnie the Moocher" in which he gives the announcer a high five after running onstage. This was filmed in 1958, I believe. Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mq4UT4VnbE
Just thought this might be interesting.
Great stories this Sunday
The third theory of the cowboy hat's origins reminds me of the anthropic principle. not a perfect analog, I realize, but there's something there.
You guys are amazing. thanks for your work and come back to NYC with the live program!!
I teach Information Literacy and I asked my students to listen to this segment as an example of "honest research." I was trying to get them to see that when they have a predetermined outcome to their research and cherry-pick results, that's not honest. I wanted them to focus on the way this program kept digging for the "real" origin of the high-five instead of stopping when they had an answer. Unfortunately, my students focused on how no sources were presented and that it was all word-of-mouth. I can't fault them for that -- I'm trying to teach them to be critical! So, my question for you is: how do we find the sources you used for your programs? If I want to point my students toward another episode, how do I also share with them the research that you did?
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