The Origin of Applause

See, back in the olden days, and due in a large part to poor hygiene, there were rampant insect problems. During performances, musical and otherwise, it was considered rude to slap or scratch the many flies, ticks, fleas, etc that were constantly biting the audience, see? So, the moment the last note sounded, there was always a massive cascade of relieved audience members slapping and rising from their seats to kill all of the bugs that had been feasting on them for the duration of the performance.

And that is how applause began.