Iran Press/ America: It is a way to increase public awareness regarding the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.
History and significance of the day:
Dean R. Campbell established International Lefthanders Day in 1976 to raise awareness of the challenges lefties face daily. He founded ‘Left-Handers International Inc., and the day is celebrated every year on August 13.
Interesting facts about Left-Handers:
1. Almost 10-12 percent of the population consists of left-handers.
2. A study published in the academic book “Cerebral Dominance: The Biological Foundations” revealed that left-handed people had an 11-fold higher risk of allergies than right-handed people.
3. According to a 2007 study – “Effect of Handedness on Intelligence Level of Students,” lefties are likelier to have higher IQs than righties.
4. 23% more men are left-handed than women, according to the 2008 study “Sex differences in left-handedness: a meta-analysis of 144 studies.”
5. The Illinois Research Consortium’s 2008 data revealed that left- and right-handed people approach task and memory performance in different ways, concluding that left-handers are more likely to be better at multitasking
6. Tennis players, swimmers, and boxers are all sports in which lefties excel particularly well (almost 40% of the top tennis players are lefties).
In essence, lefties are best at individual sports or sports that are not team-based. This is because right-handed players are more accustomed to playing against other right-handed players than left-handed players.
Here are famous left-handed people:
There are many prominent personalities and celebrities across the globe who are left-handed. As per the Indian Left-Hander Club, the country has many left-handers, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Sachin Tendulkar, Ratan Tata, and others.
Other famous left-handed personalities include Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Lady Gaga, and Julia Roberts.
Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Sir Isaac Newton, Napoleon Bonaparte, Walt Disney, Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, and Pablo Picasso were also left-handers.
Also, did you know that of the most recent US Presidents, five out of nine were left-handed? Although the list doesn’t include the current US President, Joe Biden, it does have the likes of Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, and Gerald Ford.
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Happy August 13, Int'l left-handers Days
