the waving of the hand is a nonverbal gesture that has an unclear origin but is said to have dated back to as far as the 18th century however, it was not called waving and was not used as saying "hello", or "goodbye." the original gesture of waving was saluting. in the 18th century, knights removed the guard of their helmets to show their identity, following with a salute to show they come in peace; saluting is also used to show others that they are not armed with weapons and do not pose a threat. the action of saluting was formalised only in the 1780s by european armies, and since then, it has become a common way of properly addressing one another in the military setting. there is also an alternate asl origin. in the 1800s, waving handkerchiefs was a way to show approval or excitement or to call attention for the deaf, and the romans, which is known as the "chautauqua salute." it is recorded during a canadian event in 1884 that multiple attendees forgot their handkerchief and so waved their hands in the air as a way to clap during the event.. in modern days, the accepted and common way for a deaf individual to applaud is raising hands in the air and simultaneously shaking their open hand and moving their fingers back and forth.