International Left-Handers Day on August 13th recognizes all those individuals who have mastered using their left hand in a right-handed world. We take our hats off to you – left-handed!
- On average, 10% of the world is left-handed, 89% right-handed, and 1% ambidextrous.
- Out of 7.6 billion people, almost 900 million are left-handed.
- Scientists don’t know why a person develops left-handedness. But it’s more likely a child will be left-handed if one parent is a lefty, too
- Parents of left-handed children used to force them to use their right hands. In the eyes of right-handers, the predominant use of the left hand seemed evil. Parents feared their communities would shun their children. While we accept left-handedness more readily than in days gone by, its occurrence hasn’t increased.
- Eight United States presidents were left-handed: James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.
- Famous Southpaws on screen include Jennifer Lawrence, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro, and Morgan Freeman. Left-handed musical stars include Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, and Eminem.
- Other celebrity Southpaws include Babe Ruth, Bill Gates, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Jimi Hendrix and Tina Fey.
- Celebrating its first year recognized in 1976, Lefthanders International helped raise awareness of the difficulties of being left-handed. Being accused of witchcraft in the 1600s for just using one hand more than the other, was only the beginning.
- Objects like scissors, knives, and even school desks can see a markup of almost 75 percent more for left-handed individuals, while golf clubs see as much as a 200 percent increase dependent on the brand.
- Those who are left-handed are more prone to ailments like allergies and migraines.
- Most of those who are left-handed are insomniacs.
- The word left in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, which means weak or broken.
- There are more left-handed men than women in the world.
- Left-handed people need to cut their nails frequently, as their nails on the left hand grow faster.
- Left-handedness is hereditary and a perfect example is the British Royal Family where Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William are all left-handed.
- Left-handed people have a greater sense of hearing.
- A study by James Cook University Townsville veterinary lecturer Janice Lloyd found that almost 50 percent of dogs favored their left paws.
- Kangaroos appear to be almost exclusively left-pawed.
- There’s a place called Left Hand. It’s in West Virginia, but don’t get too excited. The town got its name from a nearby creek called Lefthand Run, not the left-handed community.
- Nearly a quarter of the Apollo Astronauts were left-handed. Seven of the 29 astronauts on the Apollo space mission were lefties
- Mothers over 40 may be more likely to have left-handed babies.
- There’s a reason we traditionally wear wedding rings on the left hand. Ancient Romans are to thank for the placement of your wedding bling. They believed that a “lover’s vein” connected the fourth finger on the left hand to the heart.
- Left-Handed Pens Are a Thing! They really do exist – click here to check them out. Various designs exist, but the pens linked here have a special hooked tip to allow lefties to more easily see what they are writing. The design also keeps the fingers further away from the tip, which when coupled with quick-drying ink means there is less chance of smudging.
- Almost 40 percent of tennis players are lefties.
- Oftentimes, most lefties will draw figures facing to the right.
- Herbert Hoover is believed to be the first left-handed president, though James Garfield could write Greek with the left hand and Latin with the right.
- 1955 – Bill Gates is born, he goes on to become the world’s richest left-handed person.
- 1976 – August 13, Lefthanders International designates August 13 as International Lefthanders Day.
- 1992 – August 13 – The Left-Handers Club is underway to “increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.”
- 2009 0 January 20 – Newly-inaugurated President Barack Obama signs three documents, quipping “I’m a lefty. Get used to it.”
- 1860 – the year when left-handed people were essentially seen as being in a league with the devil.
- 0.5% – the percentage of guitarists who play left-handed.
- 11 times – the higher likelihood for left-handers to suffer from allergies.
- 94% – the percentage of left-handers with bilateral limb movements.
- 4–5 months – the time it takes for left-handers to reach puberty later than their peers.
- 23% – the percentage of more men than women who are left-handed.
- 70% – the percentage of left-handed people who have left-brain dominance when it comes to language control.
- As listed on the Baseball Reference website, 14 of the top 20 highest career batting averages in Major League Baseball belong to left-handed hitters.
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