Have you ever wondered why we clap our hands, and who invented the act of clapping?
Well, it’s impossible to know exactly when people first started clapping, though it’s definitely an ancient and widespread behaviour. It had certainly caught on by the time of the Roman Empire. That’s when crowds would clap, snap and wave the edge of their togas to let rulers know exactly where things stood.
Some of those rulers weren’t above hiring professionals either. There were people who literally clapped for their dinner to manipulate crowd reactions.
Speaking of trained monkeys, we’re not the only species that put our hands together. Other great apes like gorillas, chimps and orangutans sometimes clap their hands to draw attention.
But applause — clapping as a sign of approval or joy — is actually a learned behaviour. And for the most part, it seems to be limited to humans.
Bravo to us humans. If you think Passnownow.com deserves some applause, share this article among your friends, and don’t forget to visit this website everyday for more stories like this one.
