August 13 – International Left-handers' Day

Started in 1976 by Left-handers’ International, this is a holiday that celebrates left-handed people everywhere. Another reason for the special day is to raise awareness among right-handed people about the inconveniences faced by the minority (only around one out of ten people is left-handed).

Left-handed people use special leftie scissors more easily than normal scissors. Can you see why?

With only 10% of the population being left-handed, we could assume that only four or five U.S. Presidents would have been left-handed… But we would have assumed wrong! There are twice as many lefties among the U.S. Presidents as expected – although not at first! James Garfield, America’s 20th President, was the first leftie – and about half of the presidents since World War II have been left-handed!!

The post-WWII lefties are former presidents Truman, Ford, Reagan (although he did write with his right hand, probably because he was forced to as a kid), Bush Sr., Clinton, and Obama.

By the way, having only one left-handed president in the entire 1800s may be because many teachers used to force kids to write with their right hands – so we just don’t know the handedness of many early presidents!

Some other famous left-handers include Benjamin Franklin, Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince William of England, Fidel Castro, Helen Keller, Lewis Carroll, Buzz Aldrin (along with about 25% of Apollo astronauts!), Jay Leno, Winston Churchill, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso, Isaac Newton, Morgan Freeman, Albert Einstein, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Marilyn Monroe, Marie Curie, Babe Ruth, Jimi Hendrix, Sir Paul McCartney, and many, many more!

Cra-zy how many famous, smart, talented people are left-handed, huh?

Also on this date:

Birthday of artist Margaret Tafoya