Quiz: How much do you know about handshakes?

In business and social events, Austrians shake hands with everyone, including children.

It wasn't all chariots and palaces. Romans had to engage in social niceties, too. When Roman men greeted one another, each man clasped just below the elbow of the other man. In addition to being polite, this was a great way to check for hidden daggers.

The Weizmann Institute in Israel found that handshakes may help us notice odors. The researchers found that people often sniff their hands after shaking them.

In Switzerland, it's customary to shake a woman's hand before a man's.

Weaker handshakes are preferred in China. Often, people shaking hands will hold on for a period of time after the initial handshake has ended.

Bumpshake.com claims that most people only wash their hands for a few seconds, making it easy to spread diseases. Anti-handshake folks prefer bumping fists.

As it turns out, handshakes are pretty ancient. According to Dr. Manny Alvarez, the earliest documented handshakes occurred in 2800 B.C. in Egypt, where figures shaking hands were found in frescoes.