In honor of National Left-Handers Day today, here is some vital information. We are only 10% of the population, but we have contributed far more to the world than a lowly ten percent!! We trans handers have faced ridicule and mockery over the centuries. It is time for this discrimination to end. Are we not on the left due to our politics as well? Let’s have a show of hands!
So, we have a plethora of lefties in our family. As we gathered a few weeks ago (August 2012) for my Mom’s memorial service, we caught each other writing or eating with our left hands. I have written before about left-handedness, and the possible reasons for it. But here is an expanded list of lovable lefties for your reading enjoyment.
Leonardo Da Vinci; Michelangelo; Pablo Picasso; Julius Caesar; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Ludwig Van Beethoven; Winston Churchill; Napoleon Bonaparte – and Josephine; Queen Victoria; Alexander the Great; Joan of Arc; Marie Curie and last but certainly not least, Albert Einstein.
Bill Gates; J Edgar Hoover – the former Director of the FBI; Mark Twain, HG Wells and Lewis Carroll from the world of literature; and Prince’s Charles and William. First man on the moon: Neil Armstrong and his co-astronaut: Buzz Aldrin; fashion designer: Jean-Paul Gaultier and The Simpsons cartoon creator: Matt Groening are all left-handed, as are/were American Presidents: Gerald Ford; Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Barrack Obama, and Bill Clinton.
Bob Dylan; Jimmi Hendrix; Sir Paul McCartney; Sting; David Bowie; Phil Collins; George Michael; Marshall Mathers – Eminem; Annie Lennox; Celine Dion; Mark Knopfler; Paul Simon and Ringo Starr.
Cary Grant; WC Fields; Steve McQueen; Peter Ustinov; Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire, plus present day actors such as Robert Redford; Tom Cruise; Robert De Niro; Sylvester Stallone; Bruce Willis and Jim Carrey, all favouring the left hand. Not to leave the ladies out, famous actresses include many of the greats: Judy Garland; Greta Garbo; Betty Grable; Marilyn Monroe, they were all “lefties”, as are current screen stars like: Julia Roberts; Angelina Jolie; Nicole Kidman; Emma Thompson and Demi Moore.
Babe Ruth; Larry Bird; Pele; Sir Bobby Charlton; Ferenc Puskas; Sir Garfield Sobers; Dennis Compton; Arnold Palmer; Rod Laver; Mark Spitz and “marvellous” Marvin Hagler were/are all proud “lefties”. To be added to this dazzling list are more famous left handed people from more recent times, such as: John McEnroe; Jimmy Connors; Ivan Lendl; Rafael Nadal; Martina Navratilova; Steve Young, Clayton Kershaw, Diego Maradona; Marco Van Basten; Jimmy White; Brian Lara and Alan Border.
(I wonder about the accuracy of these lists)
