MAIN Holidays & Observances 2024 Left Handers Day

Happy Left-Handers Day!

Hey, all you south paws! Today's your day.

Every year, the world's population of left-handed people - about 10 percent - are honored on August 13th when everybody stops to celebrate the rarity of being left-handed in a right handed world!

This year, Left-Handers Day is celebrated on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

What makes lefties special

Living in a right-handed world means lefties are set apart from nearly 90% of the population.

Although they're usually too cool to admit it, most lefties think they're superior to the rest of us. And they might very well be, um, right. Science has proven that being left-handed comes with some handy benefits.

Having had to forge their own way, left handed people are more apt to have leadership abilities. Lefties are more likely to use the right sides of their brains, as well. That usually means they often have increased aptitude for math, science, and architecture.

Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, and M.C. Escher, who were experts at spatial relationships, were all left-handed artists.

Musical abilities are also heightened in lefties, illustrated by an unusual number of musicians (everyone from Kurt Cobain to Beethoven) who have been left-handed.

Famous 20th century artist M.C. Escher was a famous lefty.

Other famous lefties include baseball pitchers Ron Guidry, Whitey Ford, and Tommy John; tennis champs Martina Navratilova, Rafael Nadal, and John McEnroe. Left-handed Olympic greats also include the likes of Dorothy Hammil and and Mark Spitz.

Hollywood celebrities famous for being left handed run the gamut from Robert DeNiro, Angelina Jolie, and Tom Cruise, to Nicole Kidman, Robert Redford, and Keanu Reeves.


DID YOU KNOW? More Left-Handers Day fun facts

• According to one study left-handers are generally more intelligent and apt to have higher IQs compared to the rest of the population.

• Left handers are likely to make more money than right-handers. According to one study south paws can expect a 15% bump in riches, 26% if they graduated college.

• The Incas thought left-handers were possessed of magical abilities and healing powers. The North American Zuni tribe believed left handedness signified good luck.

• Cats, dogs, and monkeys all show some handedness (or pawedness). But it is the parrot that shows a distinct preference with a surprising 90% using their left foot for picking things up or manipulating objects.

• Throughout history, southpaw baseball pitchers, tennis players, and left-handed swordsmen have been the most feared of any opponent. The reason? When battling left-handed opponents, rIght-handed athletes often get confused about where the next strike might come from!

• And speaking of southpaws, where did the term "southpaw" originate? Traditionally, the word is assumed to have begun with left-handed baseball pitchers. But its origins appear to date back much further - to the early 1800's - when southpaw simply meant an unexpected turn of events.

More about Left Handers Day around the Web:

62 Interesting Facts about Left-Handedness and Left-Handed People - If trivia and fun facts are your thing, turn left here.

Handedness - Wikipedia - Check out facts and related resources for more on the science and history of left handedness.