August 13 every year is international Left Handers Day. According to the Left-Handers Day website, the day is meant to “increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.”
The day is observed annually to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of the left-handers.
The day was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, founder of the Lefthanders International, Inc.
It celebrates left-handed people’s uniqueness and differences, a subset of humanity comprised of seven to ten percent of the world’s population.
The day also spreads awareness on issues faced by left-handers example, the importance of the special needs for left-handed children, and the likelihood for left-handers to develop schizophrenia.
There are approximately 708 million left-handed people in the world.
Men are more likely to be left handed than women.
From scissors and smudged ink to spiral-bound notebooks and impossible-to-use tin openers, the lefties’ life struggle is real.
While the increasingly digital world has brought advantages to both the left and right, International Left-Hander’s Day continues to be observed every year in recognition of the left-handed persons and famous faces.
To celebrate the day, here are some left-handed facts:
*Left-handed people make up 10% of the world’s population.
*There have been eight U.S. presidents who were left-handed including James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
*Sinister (Latin for left), Mollydooker (Australian slang term), Southpaw (name for a left-handed pitcher), Goofy footed and Cuddy wifter are a few terms for left-handed people.
*There is a Left Hand, West Virginia, named after the nearby Lefthand Run Creek. With a population of approximately 390 people, the unincorporated town is located 30 minutes northeast of the state capitol Charleston.
*One in four Apollo astronauts were left-handed 250% more lefties than the normal level of probability for the group.
*Studies show lefties adjust easier to seeing underwater and studies have found evidence linking left-handedness and intellectual creativity.
*Lefties are better drivers according to a study from the Center for Handedness Research and The Zebra. The study looked at the driving habits and accident rates of 1,500 drivers over 10 years and found that the left-handed drivers had fewer accidents. In addition, an AA Driving School poll found 57% of lefties pass their driving test the first time compared with 47% of righties.
*A study found that right-handers, on average, live to be nine years older than left-handers.
*The highest rates of left-handedness can be found in North America, Australia, New Zealand and western Europe. Whereas the lowest rates, between 4 and 6%, are found in Asia, Africa and South America.
*Left-handed people are more affected by fear. According to research conducted in the U.K., lefties gave more fragmented accounts when asked to recall events from a dramatic film clip.
Notable Lefthanders include Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (considers himself as ambidextrous), Mark Zuckerberg, Julius Caesar, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Jr., David Rockefeller, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Forbes, Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Lionel Messi, Pelé -Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Diego Maradona, Marie Curie, Issac Newton, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Napoléon Bonaparte, Alexander the Great, Ramesses I1, Fidel Castro, Benjamin Netanyahu, Henry Ford, Babatunde Fashola, among othersWith Wikipaedia, ABC10.com reports
