President Garfield Was Ambidextrous Allowing Him To Write Greek With One Hand And Latin With The Other!

National Handwriting Day on January 23rd encourages us to put pen to paper and write out our thoughts.  January 23rd was chosen as this is John Hancock’s birthday.

• 3300 BC – Found on clay tablets from Mesopotamia, the first ever recorded handwriting dates back to 3,300 BC.
• 3100 – 3000 BC – Handwriting (symbols) was first used for list making. It was a counting of beer rations for workers.
• 8th Century BC – The Greeks adopted the Phoenician alphabet, leading to the development of Greek and later Latin lettering.
• 1400s – Johannes Gutenberg invents the movable type printing press, revolutionizing print technology.
• 1490s – “Leonardo da Vinci used to write most of his stuff in mirror handwriting unless it needed to be read by others.”  This fact is backed up by this BBC research that says that Da Vinci wrote in a ‘left-handed mirror script’. This means he wrote everything backward.
• 1700s – the world’s first handwriting and penmanship schools were formed to train scribes.
• 1776 – John Hancock was the first person to sign the Declaration of Independence on August 2, 1776.
• 1859 – 1880 – Senator then U.S. President James Garfield was super talented when it came to handwriting!  As well as being ambidextrous Garfield could write in Greek with one hand whilst writing in Latin with the other!
• 1977 – The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association first starts promoting January 23 as National Handwriting Day, offering “a chance to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting.”
• Both cursive and printed letters offer a variety of benefits. Both strengthen fine motor skills but cursive is the stronger of the two. Printing is more widely used, however. Books, newspapers, forms, and websites all use a print or block form of a letter
• In much of the United States and Canada, schools no longer require that students learn to write in cursive.
• Studies show that students who write notes by hand tend to remember and understand concepts better than students who type notes.
• Does your writing slant up as the sentence graduates? As Dr. Darius Russin says, this could represent high levels of ambition. “But be careful,” he says. “This could also be [a] sign of arrogance.”
• When trying out a new pen for the first time 97 percent of people write their name!
• Handwriting analysis, or graphology, is generally considered a pseudoscience. Although it can provide some clues in certain situations, like identifying forgeries, there is no proven link between handwriting styles and personality traits or psychological states.
• People who write notes by hand tend to be more selective in what they write down, focusing on the most important concepts and organizing their notes more effectively.
• The mere act of writing by hand can have a calming, therapeutic effect. Additionally, writing down thoughts and feelings can liberate a chaotic mind and help reduce anxiety and stress.
• Handwriting forces our brain to slow down to the pace of our pen, letting us take more time with our thoughts and reduce anxiety and overthinking.
• Studies show that those who write down their goals, especially by hand, are more likely to achieve them. Writing things down can help you clarify your goals and hold yourself accountable.
• Letter size: Small letters generally indicate shyness or introversion whereas large letters might indicate extroversion or a need for attention. Average-sized letters indicate a well-adjusted and adaptable person.
• Slanting: Those who write their letters in a neutral and upright position are said to be logical and practical. A forward-aiming, right slant usually indicates an openness to new people and experiences. A slant to the left or backward could mean you like to keep to yourself—though if you’re right-handed and do this, it could just mean you’re rebellious!
• Letter shapes: Rounded letters might show a creative or artistic bent, whereas sharp and pointed lettering shows aggressiveness and intensity. Finally, smooth and connected letters might reveal a systematic and logical thinker.
• Dotted I’s:  The position of the dot over the “i” may reveal more than you think. Directly above generally means you’re an organized and detail-oriented person whereas one slightly to the left might mean you’re a procrastinator. Someone who does deliberate circles over their i’s might even be a creative visionary!
• Crossing T’s: Those who cross high on their t’s are considered optimistic and high in self-esteem, while those who cross lower may have lower self-expectations—the middle may be just right! Similarly, longer crosses might show determination and enthusiasm while shorter crosses might show a streak of laziness.
• Lowercase S’s: Those sneaky’s can also tell you quite a lot. Those who round out their s’s are likely to be people pleasers who want to avoid confrontations. Pointy or sharp lowercase s’s may indicate ambition or inquisitiveness. Finally, smaller s’s that are wide on the bottom may mean that the writer is not following their truest dreams.
• Speed: Fast writers are unlikely to be time-wasters—they emphasize efficiency and might be impatient. On the other hand, slow writers are more likely to be methodical and deliberate. They may also be better organized!

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Uniball

Shareable

Arts and Culture/Google

National Today