Today is their day... The day of those who adapt to the rules of a world built for right-handers with their left hand... Left-handers who struggle when picking up scissors, smudge ink on their hands when writing, and live in a world designed for right-handers, from school desks to many everyday items they use.
August 13 is International Left-Handers Day
Modern.az website has investigated the history of left-handedness and famous left-handers who left their mark on world history on the occasion of this day.
The idea of having a separate day for left-handers emerged in the 1970s. Time - 1976. Place - USA... American Dean R. Campbell declared August 13 as a day dedicated to left-handers. However, at that time, this initiative was not as widespread as it is today.
14 years passed. In 1990, the “Left-Handers Club” was established in Great Britain. The club held the first International Left-Handers Day on August 13, 1992. The aim was to highlight the difficulties left-handers face in daily life and to explain that some items that seem ordinary to right-handers are not at all comfortable for left-handers. Thus, August 13 became the day for left-handers on the calendar.
Their number in the world is not small. Although the results of scientific research differ to some extent, the general indicator suggests that approximately 10 percent of the world's population is left-handed. That is, approximately one in every 10 people...
But being left-handed has not always been accepted as ordinary as it is today. In the past, in many countries, children who wrote with their left hand were forced to write with their right hand. At school, a teacher, and at home, a parent could consider a child's use of their left hand as a habit that needed to be changed. It sounds strange now. But traces of this remain in the lives of some people who became famous in history.
Writing read in a mirror - Leonardo's left-hand trace
For example, Leonardo da Vinci...
One of the greatest names in world painting, the author of “Mona Lisa,” was left-handed. There is an interesting feature in Leonardo's manuscripts. He wrote a significant part of his notes from right to left - in mirror writing. It is difficult to read the writing in the usual way, but when held up to a mirror, everything becomes clear.
Researchers attribute one of the reasons for this to Leonardo's left-handedness. At that time, a left-hander writing with ink from left to right could drag their hand over the writing, smudging the ink. When writing from right to left, this problem was reduced. Thus, centuries later, Leonardo's manuscripts show us not only what he thought but also how he wrote.
The case with another Renaissance genius - Michelangelo - is somewhat different. Historical facts show that although he was naturally left-handed, Michelangelo mainly worked with his right hand. According to research, he used his left hand more for tasks requiring strength, such as hammering and working on marble.
Left-handed presidents in the White House
The trace of left-handers is not only in the history of art. Their number in the White House has also been quite high.
Former US presidents Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama were left-handed. An interesting point occurred in the 1992 presidential election. The main rivals for the presidency were George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. Both were left-handed...
Clinton won the election. With this, the consecutive rule of left-handers in the US presidency continued: Bush led the White House from 1989-1993, and Clinton from 1993-2001.
Ronald Reagan's name is also mentioned among left-handed presidents. But here, a slightly different point also attracts attention. Reagan wrote with his right hand. Nevertheless, there is information that he was left-handed and was accustomed to writing with his right hand in childhood.
Was Churchill really left-handed?
When it comes to famous left-handers, Winston Churchill's name is also frequently mentioned. But this is one of the incorrect pieces of information that has been repeated for years. According to the International Churchill Society, the famous Prime Minister of Great Britain was not left-handed. There are photos and documents showing that he wrote with his right hand.
Let's move on to the world of music...
Paul McCartney, whose appearance on stage with his left-handed guitar has become a part of music history, is one of the most famous left-handed musicians. The “Beatles” member's left-handed Höfner bass guitar has over time become an inseparable part of his stage image.
But in rock history, when a left-handed guitar is mentioned, another name comes to mind: Jimi Hendrix...
Hendrix was known for turning a guitar designed for right-handers and playing it in a left-handed position. This detail later became one of the most memorable features of his stage image.
Not everyone who plays with their left hand is left-handed
In the world of sports, the matter is somewhat different. Sometimes an athlete who plays with their left hand is not actually left-handed. For example, Rafael Nadal...
Anyone watching him on the court would not doubt that Nadal is left-handed. The tennis racket is in his left hand, and he hits his famous forehand shots with that hand. But Nadal is right-handed in daily life, he writes with his right hand. When he started playing tennis as a child, Nadal played a two-handed forehand, then switched to playing with his left hand. Thus, one of the most famous “left-handers” in tennis history is actually a right-handed person in daily life.
The story of golf legend Phil Mickelson is also interesting. His nickname is “Lefty.” But Mickelson is also right-handed in daily life.
So why does he play golf from the left side?
The reason goes back to his childhood. Little Phil stood in front of his father and repeated his golf movements like a reflection in a mirror. Since his father played from the right side, the son standing in front of him learned the movements from the left side. Childhood imitation later became his professional style.
In a world built for right-handers...
Leonardo not only wrote with his left hand but also left a trace that is read centuries later. Presidents signed documents with their left hand, musicians changed the direction of the guitar, and athletes confused their opponents with shots coming from the left side.
Today, approximately one in ten people in the world is left-handed. Among them have been geniuses, presidents, musicians, and world champions...
And August 13 is their day - the day of those who find their way with their left hand in a world designed for right-handers...
