National High Five Day

It’s National High Five Day! Celebrated on the third Thursday in April, today is all about celebrating the high five and giving high fives to everyone. Send a free virtual high five to faraway friends and family. 

While the first National High Five Day can be traced back to a group of University of Virginia students in 2002, no one knows who invented the high five itself. NBA player Derek Smith claimed that he created the high five while playing for the University of Louisville basketball team in 1979. According to another story, a man named Mont Sleets popularized the gesture. While Mont was growing up in Kentucky, his father's old army friends would greet each other by extending their arms straight up in the air and saying the name of their division: "Five." As a young boy, it was difficult for Mont to remember all of the names of his father's friends, so when he saw them, he would just say "Hi, Five!" This childhood greeting stuck with him, and he started to greet others with high fives.  

Want to know the trick for the perfect high five? Look at the other person's elbow as you are about to high-five them. You’ll have a perfectly accurate high five every time. Happy National High Five Day!