At Grip we aim to bring every professional opportunity, just a handshake away. In this series we take a closer look at famous handshakes that were the starting point of something remarkable.
July 24th, 1963 — A beautiful summer day and the American Legion Boys are visiting the White House. Among them is the 17-year-old Bill Clinton, determined to shake the hand of President John F. Kennedy.
As we all know from the picture, he succeeded, but it is not just the fact that they shake hands that makes this picture famous. It is how the handshake happens and the composition of the picture as a whole that makes it truly extraordinary.
Because you would almost forget that there are more American Legion Boys in the picture. And by looking at their faces first we can appreciate what this handshake means.
Three of the boys are looking at the President and from the video, it becomes clear that none of them has shaken the hand of the President since they are standing in the second and third row. But the fourth did shake the hand of Kennedy just before Clinton does, and his facial expression is legendary.
He is not looking at the President or Clinton, he is looking at the handshake. You can see him think… shit, that’s a proper handshake… I should have shaken the President’s hand like that! So what makes the handshake of Clinton and JFK so remarkable?
The Step
Kennedy has to take one step in order to shake the hand of Clinton. The young Clinton does a great job at waiting just long enough before bringing up his hand. Because of the small step Kennedy is leaning forward slightly and naturally their faces come much closer together than is the case with the other boys.
The Grip
The Grip is completely straight which naturally results in a balanced feeling between the two men.
It is also the perfect basis for the next step of the handshake, the shake.
The Shake
You see immediately when the grip is formed between the current and future President. They make two, firm shakes, with Clinton nodding and leaning in on the second shake. This demonstrates Clinton’s sincere appreciation for shaking the President’s hand.
The Eye Contact
Let’s watch the shake in reverse and in slow motion. Here we can see how long Clinton held his gaze with the President before shaking hands.
His face is calm, controlled, waiting for the right moment to shake the hand of the man whose job he will occupy 30 years later. After this handshake, Clinton was reported to have said the following:
“Someday I will have John F. Kennedy’s job”
This is how powerful a handshake can be. The beginning of something that will change your life forever.
You can see the full video of the handshake and the story around it here. If you like the story it would mean a lot to us if you press the “recommend” button below.
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Thank you @hhargreavesuk for proofreading the article!
