- Left-Handed U.S. Presidents
- James A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th
- Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st
- Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd
- Gerald Ford (1913- ) 38th
- Ronald Reagan (1911 - ) 40th
- George H.W. Bush (1924- ) 41st
- Bill Clinton (1946- ) 42nd
- Barack Obama (1961- ) 44th
- Left-Handed U.S. Politicos
- Senator Bill Bradley, Rhodes scholar, basketball star
- McGeorge Bundy, presidential advisor
- Benjamin Franklin, statesman/publisher/scientist
- Steve Forbes, businessman/publisher
- Jean-Marc Froidevaux ?, Swiss politician
- Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Supreme Court Justice
- Senator Daniel Inouye
- Anthony Kennedy, Supreme Court Justice
- Alan Keyes, US Senator, US Ambasador
- Brigadier Gen. Lee Hsien Loon, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
- John McCain, US SenatorB
- Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense
- Col. Oliver North, White House aid
- H. Ross Perot, businessman
- William Perry, Secretary of Defense
- Nelson Rockefeller, Vice President
- Senator Hugh Scott
- Robert Wagner, New York mayor
- Henry Wallace, Vice President
- [Senator Bob Dole - switched to left due to injury]
- Miscellaneous Left-Handers
- Joan of Arc (?), French heroine
- Lloque Yapanqui (?), Inca monarch
- Ramses II (?), Egyptian pharaoh
- Tiberius (?), Roman emperor
- Alexander the Great
- Charlemagne, Holy Roman emperor
- Julius Caesar, Roman general
- Napoléon Bonaparte (?), French emperor
- Josephine de Beauharnais
- King Louis XVI of France
- Queen Victoria of England
- King George II of England
- King George VI of England
- Prince Charles of England
- Prince William of England
- Fidel Castro, Cuban leader
- Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime-minister
- Ehud Olmert, Israeli prime-minister
- Nicole d'Oresme, mathematician
- Henry Ford, automobile manufacturer
- David Rockefeller, banker
- Dwight F. Davis, founder of the Davis Cup in tennis
- Helen Keller, advocate for the blind
- Dr. Albert Schweitzer, physician/missionary
- August Piccard, inventor of stratosphere, bathosphere
- Edwin Buzz Aldrin, astronaut
- Wally Schirra, astronaut
- Dr. Mark Silver, surgeon
- Paul Prudhomme, chef
- Cecil Beaton, photographer/costume designer
- Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts (ambidexterous)
- Dave Barry, journalist
- David Broder, journalist
- Edward R. Murrow, correspondent
- Ted Koppel, journalist
- Forrest Sawyer, journalist
- Ray Suarez, journalist
- John F. Kennedy, Jr., lawyer/publisher
- Caroline Kennedy, lawyer/author
- Ron Reagan, son of Ronald Reagan
- Vin Scully, sports broadcaster
- David Letterman (?), host
- Jay Leno, host
- Lenny Bruce, comedian
- Allen Ludden, host
- Joel Hodgson, host of Mystery Science Theater 3000
- Wink Martindale, game show host
- Uri Geller, psychokinetic performer
- Richard Simmons, exercise guru
- Euell Gibbons, naturalist
- Marie Dionne, one of the Dionne quintuplets
- General H. Norman Schwarzkopf
- Clarence Darrow, lawyer
- F. Lee Bailey, lawyer
- Melvin Belli, lawyer
- Marcia Clark, lawyer
- Alan Funt, television producer
- Milt Caniff, cartoonist
- Bill Mauldin, cartoonist
- Cathy Guisevite, cartoonist
- Matt Groening, cartoonist
- Jean Plantureux (Plantu), political cartoonist
- Pat Oliphand, political cartoonist Ronald Searle, cartoonist
- Pat Robertson, evangelist/politician
- N.B. Forrest, Confederate general
- John Dillinger, criminal/bank robber
- Boston Strangler (Albert Henry DeSalvo), serial killer
- Jack-the-Ripper, serial killer
- John Wesley Hardin, Western gunslinger
- Bart Simpson, cartoon character
- [King Edward III of England, due to stroke]
- Left-Handed Authors
- James Baldwin, novelist
- Bet Bowen, horror novelist
- Peter Benchley, novelist
- Lewis Carroll
- Richard Condon, novelist
- Jean Genet
- Marshall McLuhan
- Diane Paul
- Helen Hooven Santmyer, novelist
- Viktoria Stefanov
- Samuel C. Warner (?), poet
- H.G. Wells
- Jessamyn West
- Eudora Welty, see One Writer's Beginnings (1983:27)
- [Thomas Carlyle - switched to left due to injury]
- Left-Handed Musicians
- Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, composer
- David Byrne (Talking Heads)
- Glen Campbell
- Vicki Carr
- Natale Cole
- Kurt Cobain (Nirvana)
- Phil Collins (Genesis)
- Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins)
- Dick Dale (guitarist)
- Don Everly (The Everly Brothers)
- Phil Everly (The Everly Brothers)
- Bela Fleck, jazz musician
- Glenn Frey (the Eagles)
- Eric Gale, guitarist
- Noel Gallagher (Oasis) (?)
- Errol Garner, jazz pianist
- Judy Garland
- Crysal Gayle
- Kevin Griffin, guitarist & lead singer (Better than Ezra)
- Thomas Hedley, vocalist/musician
- Jimi Hendrix
- Isaac Hayes
- Tony Iommi, guitarist (Black Sabbath)
- Albert King, guitarist
- Melissa Manchester
- Chuck Mangione, trumpet
- Martina McBride ?, country music singer
- Paul McCartney (the Beatles; Wings)
- Christie Marie Melonson (opera)
- George Michael (Wham!)
- Peter Nero, conductor
- Joe Perry ? (Aerosmith)
- Robert Plant (Led Zepplin)
- Cole Porter, song-writer
- Sergei Rachmaninoff ?, composer
- Maurice Ravel ?, composer
- Lou Rawls
- John Lydon a.k.a. Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols / Public Image Ltd.)
- Rich Szabo, trumpeter
- Seal
- Ringo Starr (?) (the Beatles)
- Paul Simon (Simon & Garfunkel)
- Tiny Tim
- Rudy Valee
- Lenny White, drummer
- Paul Williams, song-writer
- Left-Handed Artists
- Albrecht Dürer
- M.C. Escher
- Hans Holbein
- Paul Klee
- Michelangelo
- LeRoy Neiman
- Raphael
- Leonardo da Vinci (RH paralyzed?)
- Left-Handed Actors
- Don Adams
- Dan Aykroyd
- Eddie Albert
- Tim Allen
- June Allyson
- Harry Anderson
- Amitabh Bachchan, Indian actor
- Herschel Bernardi
- Robert Blake
- Matthew Broderick
- Bruce Boxleitner
- Carol Burnett
- George Burns, comedian
- Ruth Buzzi, comedienne
- Keith Carradine
- Khaled Chahrour, Egyptian actor
- Charlie Chaplin
- George Gobel, comedian
- Chuck Conners
- Hans Conreid
- James Cromwell
- Tom Cruise
- Quinn Cummings
- Daniel Davis
- Bruce Davison
- Matt Dillon
- Marty Engles, comedian
- Olivia de Havilland
- Robert DeNiro
- Michael Dorn
- Fran Drescher, comedian
- Richard Dreyfuss
- W.C. Fields
- Larry Fine ? (of the Three Stooges)
- Peter Fonda
- Greta Garbo
- Terri Garr
- Paul Michael Glaser
- Whoopie Goldberg
- Betty Grable
- Cary Grant
- Peter Graves
- Mark Hamill
- Rex Harrison
- Goldie Hawn
- Joey Heatherton
- Tippi Hedren
- Jim Henson, puppetteer
- Kermit the Frog
- Rock Hudson
- Angelina Jolie
- Shirley Jones ?
- Gabe Kaplan
- Danny Kaye
- Diane Keaton
- George Kennedy
- Nicole Kidman
- Lisa Kudrow
- Michael Landon
- Hope Lange
- Joey Lawrence
- Peter Lawford
- Cloris Leachman
- Hal Linden
- Cleavon Little
- Shirley MacLaine
- Andrew McCarthy
- Kristy McNichol
- Steve McQueen
- Howie Mandel, comedian
- Marcel Marceau, mime
- Harpo Marx
- Marsha Mason
- Mary Stuart Masterson
- Anne Meara, comedian
- Sasha Mitchell
- Marilyn Monroe
- Robert Morse
- Anthony Newley
- Kim Novak
- Ryan O'Neal
- Sarah Jessica Parker
- Estelle Parsons
- Anthony Perkins
- Ron Perlman
- Luke Perry
- Bronson Pinchot
- Joe Piscopo, comedian
- Robert Preston
- Michael J. Pollard
- Richard Pryor, comedian
- Robert Redford
- Keanu Reeves
- Don Rickles, comedian
- Julia Roberts
- Mickey Rourke
- Eva Marie Saint
- Telly Savalas
- Jean Seberg
- Jerry Seinfeld, comedian
- Christian Slater
- Dick Smothers, comedian
- Brent Spiner
- Slyvester Stallone ?
- Terence Stamp
- Jessica Steen
- Rod Steiger
- Alan Thicke
- Terry Thomas, comedian
- Emma Thompson
- Rip Torn
- Peter Ustinov
- Brenda Vaccaro
- Karen Valentine
- Rudy Vallee
- Dick Van Dyke
- Graham Walker a.k.a. Grumbleweeds, English comedian
- Wil Wheaton
- James Whitmore
- Treat Williams
- Bruce Willis
- William Windom
- Oprah Winfrey
- Mare Winningham
- Joanne Woodward
- Keenan Wynn
- Stephanie Zimbalist
- Left-Handed Athletes
- SOCCER
- Jans van Breukelen (soccer)
- Dan Burbott (?) (soccer)
- Johan Cruyff (soccer)
- Willem van Hanegem (soccer)
- Hernan Medford (soccer)
- Pelé -Edson Arantes do Nascimento (soccer)
- Diego Armando Maradona (soccer)
- Romario (soccer)
- Hugo Sanchez (soccer)
- Richard Witschge (soccer)
- CRICKET
- Alan Border (cricket)
- Alistair Campbell (cricket)
- Denis Compton (cricket)
- Saurav Ganguly (cricket)
- David Gower (cricket)
- Gary Sobers (cricket)
- OLYMPIC SPORTS
- Francis X. Gorman (diving)
- Greg Louganis (diving)
- Mark Spitz (swimming)
- Bruce Jenner (decathlon)
- Nikita Kohloff (wrestling)
- Dorothy Hamill (skating)
- GOLF
- Bonny Bryant (golf)
- Bob Charles (golf)
- Russ Cochran (golf)
- Connie Decker (golf)
- NOT Ben Hogan (golf), who is included on many published lists
- FENCING
- Cécile Argiolas (fencing)
- Laura Flessel-Colovic (fencing)
- Fabrice Gazin (fencing)
- Matthieu Gourdain (fencing)
- Fabrice Jeannet (fencing)
- Giuseppe Mangiarotti (fencing)
- Hugues Obry (fencing)
- Anne-Lise Touya (fencing)
- Adeline Wuilleme (fencing)
- CYCLING
- Thomas Voeckler (French), cyclist
- HOCKEY
- Tom Barrasso
- Phil Esposito
- Cam Neely
- Terry Sawchuk
- Roman Turek
- BOWLING
- Bill Allen (bowling)
- Patrick Allen (bowling)
- Earl Anthony (bowling)
- Mike Aulby (bowling)
- Steve Cook (bowling)
- Patty Costello (bowling)
- Dave Davis (bowling)
- Cara Honeychurch (bowling)
- Tish Johnson (bowling)
- Johnny Petraglia (bowling)
- Andy Varipapa (bowling)
- BILLARDS
- Steve Mizerak, Jr. (billiards)
- Kun-Fang Lee (billiards)
- Bonnie Arnold (billiards)
- Reynaldo Grandee (billiards)
- BADMINTON
- Erik Poul Hoejer (badminton)
- Peter Rasmussen (badminton)
- Donna Stacey (netball)
- BOXERS
- Carmen Basilio (boxing)
- James "Gentleman Jim" Corbett (boxing)
- Marvin Hagler (boxing)
- Oscar de la Hoya (boxing)
- Reggie Johnson (boxing)
- Rafael "Bazooka" Limon (boxing)
- Freddie Miller (boxing)
- Jacker Patterson (boxing)
- Pernell "Sweet Pea" Whitaker (boxing)
- DRIVERS
- Johnny Herbert (Formula 1 driver)
- Terry Labonte (NASCAR race car driver)
- Ayrton Senna (Formula 1 driver)
- Karl Wendlinger (Formula 1 driver)
- Valentino Rossi (motorcycle racer)
- AMERICAN FOOTBALL
- Frankie Albert (Am.football)
- Terry Baker (Am.football)
- Mark Brunell (quarterback)
- Bobby Douglass (Am.football)
- Norman "Boomer" Esiason (Am.football)
- Jim Del Gaizon (Am.football)
- David Humm (Am.football)
- Paul McDonald (Am.football)
- Scott Mitchell (Am.football)
- Gayle Sayers (Am.football)
- Allie Sherman (Am.football, coach)
- Kenny Stabler (Am.football)
- Steve Young (Am.football)
- Jim Zorn (Am.football)
- BASKETBALL
- Nate Archibald (basketball)
- Walter Berry (basketball)
- Larry Bird (basketball)
- Adrian Branch (basketball)
- Calbert Cheaney (basketball)
- Dave Cowens (basketball)
- Adrian Dantley (basketball)
- Charles "Lefty" Driesell (basketball)
- Mark Eaton (basketball)
- Nick Van Exel (basketball)
- Gail Goodrich (basketball)
- Ron Kellogg (basketball)
- Toni Kukoc (basketball)
- Bob Lanier (basketball)
- Brad Lohaus (basketball)
- Harold Minor? (basketball)
- Dick Motta (basketball)
- Chris Mullen (basketball)
- Sam Perkins (basketball)
- Digger Phelps (basketball)
- Willis Reed (basketball)
- Guy Rodgers (basketball)
- Bill Russell (basketball)
- Wayman Tisdale (basketball)
- Bill Walton (basketball)
- Lenny Wilkins (basketball)
- Manuel Zuleta (basketball)
- TENNIS
- Kenneth Carlsen (tennis)
- Jimmy Connors (tennis)
- Norman Brookes (tennis)
- Courtney De Mone (tennis)
- Guy Forget (tennis)
- Andres Gomez (Santos) (tennis)
- Goran Ivanesivic (tennis)
- Rod Laver (tennis)
- Henri LeConte (tennis)
- John McEnroe (tennis)
- Thomas Muster (tennis)
- Martina Navratilova (tennis) - ambidexterous
- Manuel Orantes (tennis)
- Niki Pilic (tennis)
- Renee Richards (tennis)
- Marcello Chino Rios (tennis)
- Monica Seles (tennis)
- Roscoe Tanner (tennis)
- Guillermo Vilas (tennis)
- Mark Woodforde (tennis)
- BASEBALL
- Steve Carlton ? (pitcher)
- Whitey Ford (pitcher)
- Paul Gibson (pitcher)
- Lefty Grove (pitcher)
- Ron Guidry (pitcher)
- Al Habrosky (pitcher)
- Steve Howe (pitcher)
- Bruce Hurst (pitcher)
- Carl Hubbell (pitcher)
- Randy Johnson (pitcher)
- Tommy John (pitcher)
- Bob Kipper (pitcher)
- Joe Magrane (pitcher)
- Greg Swindell (pitcher)
- Brady Anderson (baseball)
- Steve Avery (baseball)
- Harold Baines (baseball)
- Barry Bonds (baseball)
- Wade Boggs ? (baseball)
- Lou Brock (baseball)
- Brett Butler (baseball)
- Will Clark (baseball)
- Ty Cobb (baseball)
- Adrian Dantley (basketball)
- Lenny Dykstra (baseball)
- John Franco (baseball)
- Tom Glavine (baseball)
- Lefty Gomez (baseball)
- Leon "Goose" Goslin (baseball)
- Ken Griffey, Jr. (baseball)
- Tony Gwynn (baseball)
- Rickey Henderson (baseball)
- Kent Hrbek (baseball)
- "Shoeless" Joe Jackson (baseball)
- Reggie Jackson (baseball)
- David Justice (baseball)
- Wally Joyner (baseball)
- Sandy Koufax (baseball)
- John Kruk (baseball)
- Kenny Lofton (baseball)
- Fred Lynn? (baseball)
- Kevin Maas (baseball)
- John McGras (baseball)
- Fred McGriff (baseball)
- Heinie Manush (baseball)
- Dave Martinez (baseball)
- Don Mattingly (baseball)
- Jackie Mitchell (baseball)
- Stan Musial (baseball)
- Troy O'Leary (baseball)
- Paul O'Neil (baseball)
- John Olerud (baseball)
- Mel Ott (baseball)
- Rafael Palmeiro (baseball)
- Dan Pasqua (baseball)
- Babe Ruth (baseball)
- "Neon" Deion Sanders (baseball/Am.football)
- Warren Spahn (baseball)
- Casey Stengel (baseball)
- Darryl Strawberry (baseball)
- Lou Whitaker (baseball)
- Ted Williams (baseball)
- Fernando Valenzuela (baseball)
- Tommy Lasorda (baseball manager)
About Left-Handers' Day
On August 13th, 1976 an organization know as Lefthanders International first declared this holiday. This organization served as a source of information for left-hander's It also sold left-handed products several years before going out of business. No one entity really picked it up from there. Now, its up to individuals and local organizations to celebrate this day.
We have not heard of left-handed parades or large parties. Left-hander's day is not marked in calendars either. There will always be some mention of this day in a few newspapers or local TV stations that can be easily missed by public at large. The question is - What can we do to change this and bring more attention to left-hander's day.
The general awareness of the difficulties and frustrations left-handers experience in everyday life, and have successfully led to improved product design and greater consideration of our needs by the right-handed majority - although there is still a long way to go!!
It's a little known fact that August 13th is celebrated as Left-hander's day throughout the world. A number of left-hander's association celebrate it and draw attention to this special day but it is not done enough. As a result, not many people know about it. This year, we would like to do more to bring awareness of left-hander's day. So lets get a early start.
How many lefties are there?
Around ten per cent of the world’s population is left handed - that’s 640 million-odd people - and there are so many famous lefties whole websites have been set up to list them all.
A bizarrely high percentage of US presidents are southpaws, including Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. Ditto ace tyrants Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Napoleon.
In the acting world Robert De Niro and Nicole Kidman use their left hands, as do sports stars Pele, John McEnroe and Mike Tyson. Art giants Michelangelo and Leonardo Di Vinci were also left-handed.
No wonder lefties have a reputation for being rather special.
Perhaps the last two chaps explain their reputation for being more creative, but the lucky ten per cent also earn more money according to some studies. This one 7 by the National Bureau of Economic Research, found that left-handed college graduates in the US earned ten per cent more than right handed alumni.
Is it better to be a leftie?
Back in the day lefties also had an advantage in hand-to-hand combat. Because a righty fought with his shield on his left, a left-handed swordsman could make a surprise attack on the opponent's unprotected right side.
In Aztec times lefties were celebrated for their magical and healing abilities, while in Russia, the word levsha (lefty), came to mean ‘skilled craftsman’.
Paradoxically however, in other parts of the world our left-handed friends got a raw deal.
Take the Romans. The Latin word ‘sinistra’ originally meant ‘left’, but came to represent ‘evil’ and, eventually, ‘sinister’ today. Compare that to their word for right-handed – ‘dexter’ – meaning dexterity or skill. That’s just not fair.
Then there’s the term ‘cack-handed’. For many it means clumsy, but can also stand in for ‘left-handed’ and derives (apparently) from the ancient tradition of eating with the right hand and, er, wiping oneself with the other.
Crackdown on southpaws
Until relatively recently left-handed schoolkids also had a hard time. As late as the 1960s it was common for British children to have their left hands tied behind their backs and then be forced to use the other hand. The poor mites would then be punished because (duh) their handwriting was shoddy.
Even today, many schools still aren’t properly equipped for southpaws, and lack the right scissors, fountain pens and desks, while ‘forced conversation’ of kids still goes on in countries such as Japan and Taiwan.
With so much cultural baggage around left-handedness, both bad and good, it’s not surprising that boffins have been studying the cause for centuries.
So, why are people left handed?
Despite this, the common consensus today is that, well, there is no consensus. Hundreds of causes and factors have been linked to hand preference, but no-one really knows for sure.
One theory is that it’s all in the genes. We spoke to top geneticist Dr Clyde Francks, who helped discover that a particular gene – LRRTM1 - appeared to increase the odds of being left-handed.
The human brain is asymmetrical, which means that the two sides of the brain are used for different functions.
In right-handed people the left side of the brain controls speech and language. According to Dr Francks however, in a “fair proportion” of left-handed people either both sides, or the right side, will control speech instead.
The LRRTM1 gene contributes to this switch-around and influences whether you are left or right handed, amongst many other things.
Dr Francks admits though that genetics only explain around one quarter of the predisposition for left-handedness.
So what about the other 70-odd percent?
Another theory is that environmental factors determine handedness. Some research suggests that the baby’s development in the womb, including exposure to hormones, may influence hand preference.
Or perhaps ‘modeling’ is the cause? Some children choose what hand to use to by copying their parents. This doesn’t happen in all cases though.
Does gender play a role?
A child’s sex could be another reason. Slightly more boys than girls are left-handed, which lead some researchers to speculate that male hormone testosterone can influence hand preference.
Dr Francks believes all of these theories could possibly decide what hand you use, but only for a tiny minority of people.
“There are no grand explanations,” he said. “There are hundreds of different reasons as to why people are left-handed. I believe it’s a much more heterogeneous thing.”
Myths about the lefthanded
He also says there isn’t enough evidence that suggests lefties are more creative or higher achievers.
“It’s a myth,” he said. “There are numerous scientific studies out there, but typically the sample sizes are too small.”
The idea that left-handers are also prone to certain diseases is also ruled out by Dr Francks, even though his research into LRRTM1 suggested carrying the gene slightly increased the risk of developing mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.
“Some people weren’t happy about that, but it will only be a tiny influence, it would not be a case that all people with this gene would have a slightly increased risk.”
In short then, left-handedness is not, according to all the evidence, something positive or negative, just a “really interesting part of normal human variation”.
Don’t let this put you off celebrating left-handed day this Saturday however...
Famous Left-Handers
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