There is a national and/or international holiday for darn near every single day on the calendar (if don't be believe me, just take a look at NationalToday.com), but one of my favorite of the lesser known holidays is International Left Handers Day.

What is International Lefthanders Day?

The holiday celebrates left-handed people's uniqueness and differences, as well as raising awareness about the challenges and experiences faced by left-handed individuals in a predominantly right-handed world.

Lefthanders Day is observed world wide on August 13th, with the first celebration taking place in 1976.

What does Lefthanders Day mean to me?

As a lefty during my school years, I remember how difficult it was to find left-handed scissors, the smudging issues that comes with writing papers in both pencil and pen, bumping elbows at the lunch table when sitting next to right-handers and a multitude of other issues (I don't even want to get into the specifics of how hard it was for my right-handed parents to tech me how to tie my shoes).

Having a day to celebrate how difficult it really is to be a southpaw makes me feel good about myself.

Here are a few left-handed little-known facts:

  • The word sinister is Latin for left? Being left-handed was once thought to be evil
  • Only 7 to 10 percent of the Earth's population is left-handed
  • Left-handedness is more common in men
  • With twins, if one sibling is left-handed, there is higher likelihood of the other being left-handed as well
  • Left-handed individuals are more likely to be found in creative career fields, such as arts, music, sports and writing.
  • Studies show left-handed individuals use their right brain hemisphere more, which is associated with creativity, spatial reasoning and emotional processing.

It's not all good news for lefties.

Studies have also shown that left-handedness can have a higher chance of being linked to conditions like allergies, migraines and insomnia (I can personally vouch for that last one).

It's also more likely for left-handers to develop schizophrenia.

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All that aside, there is a plethora of famous people that are lefties, ranging from royalty, to presidents, to sports figures and actors/actresses.

Check out the list below of some very famous southpaws.

Check Out These 20 Famous Left-handed Celebrities

Gallery Credit: DJ Nyke

EVERY Major Artist That Has Performed at Casper Events Center 1982-2024

Here are all of the major artists that have ever performed at the Casper Events Center IN ORDER. (Now the Ford Wyoming Center)

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