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Left-Handers Day: Surprising Facts About Being Left-Handed

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

International Left-Handers Day is August 13, a day celebrating the 10 to 12 percent of people worldwide who favor their left hand. Discover surprising left-handed facts, history, and folklore—from old superstitions to the science behind handedness.

Years ago, some teachers insisted that all students, including left-handers, learn to write with their right hand. Teachers thought that students would have an easier time if they were not “different” from right-handed writers. Some thought that using the left hand was just a bad habit. Some even slapped or punished left-handed kids who had trouble!

left-hander facts

Now we know that everyone should use whichever hand is most comfortable. Today, 10 to 12 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. It’s not surprising that lefties sometimes feel “left out.” Plenty of superstitions and odd terms regarding left-handedness exist.

Left-Hander Superstitions and Terms

  • Sinistrophobia is the fear of left-handedness or things on the left side.
  • Many people believe that the devil is left-handed.
  • The Latin word for left, sinister, also means unlucky, evil, and suspicious.
  • The French word for left, gauche, also means clumsy.
  • A left-handed compliment is an insult.
  • It is believed that all polar bears are left-handed.
  • A left-handed baseball pitcher is called a southpaw. (And no, there’s no such thing as a northpaw!)

Why Are Some People Left-handed and Others Right-handed?

Scientists aren’t sure what causes left-handedness. Genetics plays a role, but it’s not the whole story. For example, identical twins have the same DNA, but it is common for one twin to be right-handed and the other to be left-handed.

Many left-handers have a symmetrical brain, meaning that the left and right portions of their brain are shaped alike. Right-handers often have an asymmetrical brain: The left cerebral hemisphere is often larger than the right cerebral hemisphere.

pinky promise left hand facts

No matter the shape of your brain or the hand you favor, here’s what we have—um—left:

Left-handed Facts and Trivia

The Left Test

There’s no sure way to measure “handedness.” One of the most widely used tests is called the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (developed in Edinburgh, Scotland, in the 1970s). This test asks participants which hand they most often use for a series of activities, including writing, eating, drawing, throwing, cutting with scissors, brushing teeth, and unscrewing a lid.

Left-handed Burgers? Baloney!

A full-page ad in USA Today in 1998 claimed that Burger King had developed the “left-handed Whopper.” The burger had the same fixings, but they were turned 180 degrees so that they wouldn’t drip out on left-handed customers. It was a joke! The ad ran on April 1 (April Fools’ Day).

Lefties Day

August 13 is International Left-Handers Day! The tradition was started by the Left-Handers Club, a group in the United Kingdom. Club members around the world give interviews and play left-handed games.

left handed facts folklore

Left-hander Heaven?

Lefties might want to travel to Left Hand, West Virginia, where there is a church, a school, and a post office. The village was so named because it sits on the left-hand fork of the Big Sandy River, not because of the way its citizens write.

Left-handed Reward

A few left-handers attending Juniata College in Pennsylvania have benefited from a scholarship just for left-handers established in 1979 by Mary and Frederick Beckley, two left-handers who met when they attended tennis class together in 1919.

If you’re right-handed, try writing with your left. If you’re left-handed, try brushing your teeth with your right. You’re likely to find these activities surprisingly difficult.

So, tell us below if you are a lefty or righty and what you’ve observed about this phenomenon called handedness!

Amusements

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the digital home of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. She leads digital editorial strategy and publishing across a wide range of Almanac sub...

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Monica Avila</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 11:09
More creative then most. Writing eating only with the left, everything else is done with the right.
<span>Linda Susan He…</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 10:40
When I was a little girl, I learned, from my brother, who is right handed, how to play baseball. I'm a lefty in everything I do, but can't swing a bat, nor golf left handed. Since I learned to do these as a right handed person when I was small, it comes as natural to me as if I had been born a right handed person.
<span>Kathy L Franccis</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 09:47
I normally am right handed, but I like to make my self use my left hand for different things. I find the more I use the other hand, the easier it becomes to do the task at hand.
<span>Carol Franks</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 09:33
I was ambidextrous when I was young and in school. My mother was left-handed and a very strong willed person. The nuns at my school believed that it was wrong to be left-handed, if my right hand got tired from writing I'd switch to my left hand and the nuns would smack my hand with a ruler. Since then I am strictly right handed.
<span>Geri Reski</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 08:15
Used to be ambidextrous but schools in the 60’s in Scottsdale frowned upon that. I had to turn my paper to the left as right handed students did resulting in ink or pencil lead getting all over the left side of my hand. (Lefties should turn paper to the right). I don’t blame teachers...it’s all they knew and left handed students were very rare.....am mostly still ambidextrous but writing with right hand has deteriorated as time went on.
<span>Fran</span> Wed, 03/03/2021 - 06:54
I'm lefthanded and my birthday is August 13 . Growing up I had to learn how to do many things righthanded.
<span>Paul Collins</span> Mon, 03/01/2021 - 14:31
I'm a righty
<span>Wendy</span> Sat, 02/27/2021 - 00:03
In my 20's, I bought a guitar and took lessons. Note: I am left handed. The teacher didn't ask me if I was right or left handed. Lessons for awhile and then ended. Years later, I was at a concert and saw a guitarist playing their guitar 'backwards.' I then inquired if there were left handed guitars and was told there were and a right handed guitar could be altered for a left handed player. I still had my guitar and decided to have it altered. Then I took more lessons and although it took awhile to sort of flip my brain for finger picking with my left hand (which finally felt like it should playing guitar) and playing the chords with my right hand when I took more lessons. Too bad I'd not known this when I'd first inquired about buy the guitar. Something for others to know who may be left handed and considering buying a guitar. Not sure about string instruments like a cello or a violin. Maybe someone else would know this. Great article above.
<span>Fish</span> Fri, 08/14/2020 - 15:52
... do w/ my left hand is BRUSH MY TEETH !! (and another unmentionable ADL) LOL !! .. In college, I wrote in the small college newspaper, a limerick about being LH'ed AND RED-HEADED !! For, I am in fact BOTH !
<span>Caraanne</span> Thu, 08/13/2020 - 17:47
My father was a frustrated Lefty (he was born in 1920). He taught his kids to bat & golf left-handed. When I was in third grade my teacher was ambidextrous & I aspired to be the same. Now, many years later I enter change hands without thinking. I still write better right handed but I can write with my left. I am very happy to be ambidextrous!