August 13th is International Left Handers Day
65If you're looking for something to do today then look to your hands because it's International Left Handers Day!
That's right righty, let someone else have the limelight for once!
Now let's get right into celebrating International Left Handers Day!
Why is this a holiday?
Well think about how right hand oriented this world is... sure, only about 7% to 10% of the population is left handed but it would suck to have to buy special items just so you can use them properly, wouldn't it? So on this day in 1976 the first International Left Handers Day was set up to shed some light on how inconvenient life can be for lefties and to celebrate how unique they really are.
But how many left handed people are really out there? Well, there is an estimated 6,955,310,574 people in the world right now. So there is possibly around 486,871,740 to 695,531,057 left handed people alive today. That's quite a bit of lefties, isn't it? But who are these people? Well, would you believe that there were three United States presidents in a row that were lefted handed? Reagan, Bush Sr. and Clinton are all left handed! If that's not special enough for you, Joan of Arc, Alexander the Great, H.G. Wells, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, M.C. Escher, Michelangelo, Raphael, Jim Hensen, Angelina Jolie and many many more big names all favor using their left hand.
But is it really that hard going through life as a left handed person? I mean, not everything is right-hand oriented, right? (no pun intended) Well, left handed people have to get special scissors, guitars, computer keyboards, computer mice and even school desks sometimes. Heck, even opening doors is right hand focused! Sure, it's not everything but I bet it's a little different for a left handed person to learn how to use a stick shift.
So appreciate your left handed friends; sometimes life is mildly annoying for them!
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How to Celebrate
So, how can you celebrate today?
Well, it can actually be pretty easy to celebrate. If you are right handed, then all through today if you go to shake someone's hand then be sure to use your left hand. This will do two things... if you have left-handed friends then they won't feel all awkward when they reach out with the "wrong" hand, because you'll be using your left hand too. And if you attempt it with a right-handed person then they will have to switch hands and tailor to your momentary, left-handed needs.
You could even try to go the whole day with using your left hand instead of your right. Sure, things will be pretty awkward, because you're not use to using your left hand so much, but you might start to see how things are often fit for right handed people. Who knows, maybe you can train your left hand well enough that you're pretty close to ambidextrous after a while.
And if you're a really amazing CeleGREATER then you will seek out your left-handed friends, or maybe even someone you don't know that well. Find someone who is left hand dominant and take them out to lunch. You don't have to tell them why you want to take them out, but you're more than welcome to. But if you don't tell them, then it'll be just another random act of kindness shown toward the left hand side of things.
Have a great day and type me a comment with your left hand ;).
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Check Out What I Did to Celebrate!
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How are YOU going to Celebrate International Left Handers Day?Loading...
Yeh Buddyyyyyyyyy! Im a lefty!
Hey, bendo13! I'm a lefty, or "southpaw" as I was called growing up. My teachers in grade school got on my parents about trying to make me write with my right hand, but my Dad told them to pound sand, so they let it go. I am proud to say that my penmanship was awesome! The neatest in the class, year to year. Yay me! Anyway, I don't do everything left handed, though.
I mouse right handed; I bat left handed; I bowl right handed; I catch left handed, but throw better with my right; I punch with my right; I iron with both left and right, which blows my mother-in-law away, she's a lefty, and she cuts hair and has to get lefty scissors!! I cut with scissors with my right hand. I eat left handed, cut with a knife right hand. Makeup and hair are done with my left. Go figure! The mouse thing really screws with people, especially other lefties. My mother and father-in-law are both lefty, my husband is lefty, my kids are all 3 right handed. My parents are both righties as are my brother and sister. Who can figure it out? Voted up, useful, funny, and interesting!
Fun stuff!
Haha nice... pick away JS! I thought the effects would keep it from getting boring since I took so long.
Awesome, JP993... left-handed high fives all around for you!
You've got quite a high density of lefties in your family, laidbacklady! That's cool that you can change it up for different tasks though... you're selectively ambidextrous!
Glad you liked it, RTalloni... thanks for reading!
This is a great hub! I have a friend that is ambidextrous because she was originally left handed in school but they would hit her hand every time she tried to write with it, forcing her to be right handed now. Being a lefty used be something negative or frowned upon I guess. I think it's a great thing! But I agree that most of this world is completely bias to right handed folks.
Thanks for sharing - voted up and awesome!
Yeahhhhhhh!!! Us lefty's have our own holiday!! I had never heard of this before so thanks for letting me know. I did know that August 8th is National Smile Day, which is also my birthday, so I have 2 reasons to smile on that day! In honor of International Left Handers Day, I think I will get out my left-handed pencil and write! LOL
This is a great hub ~~ you got my votes!
Have a great day and God bless! :-)
That's horrible, applecsmith! I'm not sure what was going through their minds... like they thought it would be too hard for them, they'd get picked on or it was just undesirable? I don't know, but at least she can use both hands pretty well now!
Niice, good to see more lefties commenting! You've got a lot of celebrating to do this month... thanks for reading, Field-Of-Flowers!
There are lots of stories of teachers whacking students with rulers just because they were left handed. Being left handed myself I have to say... we adapt pretty well to all the right handed things in the world...like opening doors and computer mice/mouse/mices things. Nice hub bendo... enjoyed the video....it was very right brained!
Ah yeah, I didn't think to mention doors! I'm sure living in a right-handed world helps you be efficient from both sides! Glad you like my style, davenmidtown!
Hello, thanks for this great hub Bendo13. I am left handed too.
LOL... It makes you more then efficient. I can play baseball and bat either handed. I always have my right hand free to shake another's hand because I carry everything in my left hand. Because I have to think like a right handed person, I can use both sides of my brain, etc. etc. etc. being left handed is quite awesome in its own right. But at the end of the day we are all created equal... I am glad you are glad that I am glad I like your style!
Wow, I didn't know there was a holiday for us lefties. Thanks for letting us know Bendo13. My husband, son and I are all lefties.
I just wanted to pop in and say amazing article, I am a left hander and never knew there was a holiday. I was once told back in the day just by shaking that persons hand and making them use a hand not normal to them, it increases the chance of them remembering you, and remembering the fact your left handed.
Funny article. I did a spoof on this in a hub called: "Americas NEXT target group? LEFT? RIGHT? OR Ambidextrous?"
I'm left-handed and so happy to be theage that I am. being lefthanded used to be a nightmare. Because lefties were considered to be controlled by the devil, children were forced to write with the rigght hand with their left arm strapped to their sides-even as recently as myfather's generation this happened in private schools-he remembers seeing this happen. It's a horrible history. And ther eare some countries where, even today, it is not considered polite to eat with your left hand. Not a problem for most people, but not only am I left-handed, I have virually nbo manual dexterity in my right hand besides my thumb. That is why you will see me constantly make comments on forums and hubs complaiming about my slow typing.
Nice, good to see all the lefties on here, nayaz1625! Thanks for reading!
Oh yes, we're definitely all equal davenmidtown! I looked at that one thing where the shadow of the girl is spinning with her leg out... if you see her spinning clockwise then you think with more of the right side of your brain... well that's what I saw, but I'm a righty! haha.. I always liked that thing; it's fun to see if you can focus and see her spin the other way.
It's awesome to see how many people are left handed on here, moiragallaga... I wonder what the percentage of left handed hubbers is. Might be an interesting hub topic, with a poll.
That does make sense, Nspeel! If you get someone to do something they normally do one way a different way that would probably create a stronger memory.
Haha, sounds like an interesting read d.william... I'll have to check it out!
I'm glad we've moved on from such disturbing behavior too, FloraBreenRobison! Maybe now the percentages will rise and it'll be a more equal split between right handers and left handers, as people aren't so afraid to have left handed children anymore.
J.S.Matthew Level 7 Commenter 9 months ago
My dad's a lefty. I tried to write with my left hand several times but I have no coordination! I can play ice hockey with my left, but that's about it! I will attempt to pick my nose with my left hand to celebrate this day and to see if I am ambidextrous. I like the effects in the video. Nice touch! Voting and Sharing as always! Great job Ben!
JSMatthew~