National High Five Day

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July 23, 2026

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National High Five Day is celebrated in the United States on the third Thursday of April. This gesture, a simple slap of palms between two people, is widely used to acknowledge achievements or greet others.12

While the exact origin is debated, a widely accepted story credits Los Angeles Dodgers players Dusty Baker and Glenn Burke with popularizing the high five in 1977 after a home run celebration. Other accounts suggest earlier instances in post-World War II Japan, in the movie Breathless, or as a variation of the phrase "gimme five". The high five was first recorded in 1980.23

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Who Invented the High Five?
…is so popular that a National High Five Day, established in 2002 at the University of Virginia, is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of April. But who invented the high five, and when?
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…is so popular that a National High Five Day, established in 2002 at the University of Virginia, is celebrated annually on the third Thursday of April. But who invented the high five, and when?
Read More