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{{B}}Text{{/B}} When two hands meet, we pass on something of ourselves. After{{U}} (26) {{/U}}to Mark Twain, Helen—who was both deaf and blind—commented, "I can feel the twinkle of his eye{{U}} (27) {{/U}}his handshake." In some indefinable way, Twain had{{U}} (28) {{/U}}his charm to Keller. And that's probably been true of the handshake all the{{U}} (29) {{/U}}back to its earliest days, —{{U}} (30) {{/U}}no one can tell its actual{{U}} (31) {{/U}}. A common explanation is that{{U}} (32) {{/U}}early man encountered a stranger, he{{U}} (33) {{/U}}out his hand to show he had no weapon. From this, supposedly, {{U}}(34) {{/U}}the handshake. Not so, says historian Brian Burke. He believes, the handshake{{U}} (35) {{/U}} "putting your blood behind your breath." He explains that ancient people{{U}} (36) {{/U}}the spoken word alone, and they used the handclasp to signify that their{{U}} (37) {{/U}}was backed up by the{{U}} (38) {{/U}}of their heart—i, e. , their blood. {{U}}(39) {{/U}}, the handshake suggested trust. That{{U}} (40) {{/U}}of trust has survived to this day. People in business often{{U}} (41) {{/U}}agreements simply by declaring, "Let's shake{{U}} (42) {{/U}}it." Perhaps the most{{U}} (43) {{/U}}handshake took place on July 17, 1975, during the Apollo-Soyuz get-together in space. After the two crafts came together, American astronaut Thomas Stafford{{U}} (44) {{/U}}the extended hand of Soviet cosmonaut Alexey Leonov. The{{U}} (45) {{/U}}to the world was one of friendship and peace. |