Left-Handers Day is celebrated on August 13th. The goal of this day is to raise awareness and help left-handed people with the difficulties they face every day. For many years, left-handed people faced strong discrimination and were even considered cursed, with numerous myths created about them. That is why it is no surprise that International Left-Handers Day was created.
The origin of International Left-Handers Day
The origin of International Left-Handers Day dates back to 1976. Dean Campbell was the first person to want to advocate for left-handed people and decided that the 13th, with all the mythology and bad luck associated with it, would be a good day. In 1990, The Left Handers Club was founded, a group that wanted to serve as support and promotion for the collective and took up the idea again.
On August 13, 1992, International Left-Handers Day was celebrated for the first time officially, bringing together hundreds of left-handed people in an event who wanted to raise awareness about the difficulties they face in their day-to-day lives due to their natural tendency to use the left side of their body. Little by little, the celebration took on an international character and today it is commemorated all over the world.
Curiosities about left-handed people
The left-handed community highlights today the challenges they face in their daily lives. To get to know them a little better on this Left-Handers Day, there is nothing better than discovering some curiosities about left-handed people. For example, did you know that they make up approximately 10% of the world’s population? In other words, one in ten people is left-handed.
Furthermore, left-handedness is more common in men than in women. Another curiosity regarding the left-handed community is that a study conducted by Harvard University revealed that they received lower wages. To this, it must be added that during the time of the Inquisition, being left-handed was a reason to be persecuted. Additionally, they are considered good athletes in boxing or tennis, for example, and as more creative people.
Which celebrities are left-handed?
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As we have seen, about 10% of people are left-handed. Therefore, there are numerous famous faces who are part of this group that preferentially uses the left side. Figures who are part of the history of humanity such as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Gandhi, Van Gogh, Einstein, or Beethoven are examples of famous left-handed people.
In the world of cinema, actors such as Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, Robert de Niro and actresses such as Angelina Jolie, Emma Thompson or Scarlett Johansson stand out. There are also left-handed musicians like David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Sting or Paul McCartney and athletes like Pelé, Maradona, Nadal or Martina Navratilova.
