International Left-Handers Day 2022: History, mission to observe the day on August 13
The majority of the world’s famous people are left-handed. Our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and global social media entrepreneur Mark Zuckerburg lead the list. As a result, every year on August 13th, International Left-handers Day is observed to celebrate the uniqueness of being a left-hander. According to Oxford University research, a left-handed person’s brain functions differently than a right-handed person’s brain.
History
Dean R Campbell established International Lefthanders Day in 1976 in order to bring attention to the everyday struggles of left-handed people. Every year on August 13, the day is observed. The Left-Handers Club was founded in 1992 by Dean R Campbell, the founder of Left-Handers International Inc. While the club’s main goal was to recognise left-handed people’s difficulties in everyday life, it also promoted unique strengths rather than oddities.
Significance
International Left-Handers Day celebrates the differences and uniqueness of left-handed people in our society. While nearly 13% of the world’s population is left-handed, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, popular actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth, and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar are all left-handed.
Interesting Facts
- If a person is left-handed, the gene will be passed down through the generations.
- Lefthanders type faster than right-hand dominant people. Righties can type about 300 words per minute, while lefties can type about 3,000 words per minute on a QWERTY keyboard.
- According to the research book Cerebral Dominance: The Biological Foundations, people with left-hand dominance are 11 times more likely than right-handed people to suffer from allergies.
- According to the same book, left-handed people are roughly twice as likely as right-handed people to suffer from sleep deprivation, migraines, and other symptoms.
- Ferniehirst Castle in Scotland was built to accommodate left-handed sword fighters, allowing them to draw their swords instead of right-handed ones. The clan taught their soldiers to hold their swords in their left hands.
- The right hemisphere of the brain controls the left-handed dominance side of the body and vice versa.
- Because our world is designed to be right-handed, left-handers are more likely to be ambidextrous because they have mastered certain tasks with their right hands.
- During the mediaeval period, left-handed people were frequently accused of witchcraft and conspiring with the devil.
- Princes Charles and William, the future Kings of England, are left-handed. King George VI was also left-handed, but his father made him learn to use his right hand.
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