40 Interesting Facts About Left-Handed People

40 Interesting Facts About . . .
Left-Handedness & Left-Handed People 1. Between 10-12% of people on earth are “lefties.” Women are more likely to be right-handed than men. 2. August 13th is “Left-Hander’s Day.” Launched in 1996, this yearly event celebrates left-handedness and raises awareness of the difficulties and frustrations left-handers experience every day in a world designed for right-handers. 3. Many sources claim that left-handers may die as many as nine years earlier than right-handers. 4. The word left in English comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lyft, which means weak or broken. The Oxford English Dictionary defines left-handed as meaning crippled, defective, awkward, clumsy, inapt, characterized by underhanded dealings, ambiguous, doubtful, questionable, ill-omened, inauspicious, and illegitimate. 5. Tests conducted by St. Lawrence University in New York found that there were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 than right-handed people. Famous left-handed intellectuals include Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Benjamin Franklin. 6. Mothers who are over 40 at the time of a child’s birth are 128% more likely to have a left-handed baby than a woman in her 20s.b 7. The German for “left-handed’ is linkisch, which means awkward, clumsy, and maladroit. In Italian, the word is mancino, which is derived from “crooked” or “maimed” (mancus) and is also used to mean deceitful or dishonest. In Russian, to be called a left-hander (levja) is a term of insult. 8. Among the Eskimos, every left-handed person is viewed as a potential sorcerer. In Morocco, left-handers are considered to be a s’ga, a word that means either a devil or a cursed person. 9. The Incas thought left-handers were capable of healing and that they possessed magical abilities. The North American Zuni tribe believed left-handedness signified good luck. 10. Herbert Hoover is believed to be the first left-handed president, though James Garfield could write Greek with the left hand and Latin with the right. 11. Research indicates that left-handers are more likely to become alcoholics, schizophrenic, delinquent, and dyslexic. They are also more likely to have Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or mental disabilities. 12. Many artistic representations of the devil show him to be left-handed. 13. The Boston Strangler, Jack the Ripper, and Osama Bin Laden were lefties. 14. In witchcraft texts in medieval Europe, it was the left hand that was used to harm or curse another person. To affect a curse, witches were instructed to silently touch the recipient with the left hand, which would convey the curse. Additionally, the devil supposedly gives the gathering a benediction with the left hand, as opposed to the right-handed blessing of the Christian church. He would also baptize or anoint with his left hand. 15. Both the Jewish and Christian traditions are strongly right-handed in their nature and practices. For Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and other denominations, the priest must present the communion wafer with the right hand, and the communicant accepts it with the right hand. All benedictions must be made with the right hand, and a priest symbolizes the “strong right hand of God.” 16. Medieval Jewish philosopher Maimonides (A.D. 1135-1204) listed 100 blemishes a Jewish priest could not have, and being left-handed was one of them. 17. The right hand is mentioned positively 100 times in the Bible, while the left hand is mentioned only 25 times, all negatively. 18. In many Islamic countries, people are forbidden to eat with their left hand, which is considered “unclean” because it is used for cleaning the body after defecation. Additionally, “public display” or use of the left hand is against the law in some Islamic countries, including Saudi Arabia. 19. Although approximately 90% of all humans are right-handed. 20. Left-handedness has also been called mancinism, sinistromanuality, and cackhandedness. Other colloquialisms for left-handedness include skivvy-handed, scrummy-handed, kaggy-fisted, cawk-fisted, gibble-fisted, southpaw, cunny-and ballock-handed. 21. According to tradition, an itchy left hand indicates you will lose money. An itchy right hand indicates you will receive money. 22. Studies have suggested that left-handers are more talented in spatial awareness, math, and architecture. Right-handers tend to be more talented verbally. 23. The gene LRRTM1 is a strong contributing factor for left-handedness. Scientists discovered the gene during a study of dyslexic children and believe it is inherited from the father. 24. Left-handedness runs in families. Lefties in the British royal family include the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and Prince William. 25. Studies show that those who have autism are more likely to be left-handed. 26. Many people who are left-handed draw figures that face to the right. 27. Left-handers are more likely to be dyslexic and to stutter. 28. One in four Apollo astronauts were left-handers. 29. Connections between the right and left sides of the brain are faster in left-handed people. This means information is transferred faster, making left-handers more efficient in dealing with multiple stimuli and using both sides of the brain more easily. 30. The left side, which is historically seen as weaker and “bad,” is also traditionally considered to be the female side. However, current scientific data suggests that men are more likely to be left-handed than women. 31. Researchers postulate that the proportion of left-handers has remained constant for over 30,000 years. 32. Studies suggest premature babies are more likely to be left-handed. Additionally, infants with low Apgar scores at birth are more likely to be left-handed than children who have higher Apgar scores. 33. Juniata College in Huntington, Pennsylvania awards up to $1,500 in academic scholarships to students who have top academic records and who are left-handed. 34. There are two divergent theories regarding wearing the wedding ring on the left hand. One theory is that it started with the ancient Egyptians, who believed that despite the left hand’s supposed flaws, placing the ring on this hand brought it nearer to the heart. Another theory attributes the origin to the Greeks and Romans, who wore the rings to ward off evil associated with the left hand. 35. About 30 million people in the United States are left-handed. 36. When placed on their tummies, right-handed babies tend to turn their heads to the right. Left-handed babies usually turn their heads to the left or they don’t show any preference. 37. Less than 1% of the world’s population can be considered truly ambidextrous. 38. Research suggests that left-handers are slightly more prone to allergies and asthma than right-handers are. 39. In a recent experiment, left-handers who watched an eight-minute clip from the film Silence of the Lambs showed more fear than right-handers. Scientists believe that this may be because the right side of the brain is dominant in lefties and is more involved in fear responses. 40. According to the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, the brains of left-handers process emotions differently than those of right-handers and are more susceptible to negative emotions, such as anger. Famous Left-Handers Tom Cruise | Leonardo da Vinci | Albert Einstein | Benjamin Franklin | Whoopi Goldberg | Cary Grant | Paul McCartney | Michelangelo | Martina Navratilova | Julia Roberts | Oprah Winfrey | Babe Ruth | Fidel Castro | Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin | Lord Baden-Powell | Henry Ford | Helen Keller | Jay Leno | Bart Simpson | Dan Ackroyd | Tim Allen | Charlie Chaplin | Robert DeNiro | Marilyn Monroe | Jerry Seinfeld | Lewis Carroll | Mark Twain | H.G. Wells | Celine Dion | Jimi Hendrix | Paul Simon | Oliver North | Yogi Berra | “Shoeless” Joe Jackson | Steve Young | Larry Bird | Alexander the Great | Julius Caesar | Marie Curie | Thomas Jefferson | Colin Powell | Gandhi | Charlemagne | Horatio Nelson | Ramses II | Billy the Kid (debated) | John Dillinger | Bob Dylan | David Letterman | Mozart | Prokofiev | Rachmaninoff | Beethoven | Ravel | Schumann | Paganini | Goethe | Aristotle | Nietzsche | Kafka | Hans Christian Anderson | Fred Astaire | Richard Simmons | Greta Garbo | Judy Garland | Drew Barrymore | Sylvester Stallone | Dick Van Dyke | Robert Redford | Brad Pitt | Angelina Jolie | John McEnroe | O.J. Simpson | Dorothy Hamill | Henry Ford | Bill Gates | John D Rockefeller | Albert Schweitzer | |

Unknown Words awareness - տեղեկացվածություն frustration – հիասթափություն claim – պնդում source – սկիզբ define – սահմանել crippled - հաշմանդամ դարձած clumsy – անշնորհք inapt – անընդունակ doubtful – կասկածելի conduct – վարել sorcerer – կախարդ cursed - անիծված capable – ընդունակ healing – բուժում possessed – աննորմալ signify – նշանակել indicate - ցույց տալ curse – անիծել recipient – ստացող convey - փոխանցել anoint - օծել benediction - օրհնություն denomination - աղանդ priest - քահանա medieval - միջնադարյան blemish - թերություն forbidden - արգելված defecation - աստվածացում approximately - մոտավորապես accord - համաձայնություն itchy - քոր առաջացնող indicate - նշել suggest - առաջարկել spatial - տարածական verbal - բանավոր contribute - աջակցել inherit - ժառանգել stutter - կակազում efficient - էֆեկտիվ proportion - համամասնություն remain - մնալ constant - հաստատուն premature - վաղաժամ divergent - տարամետ despite - չնայած flaw - սխալ consider - համարել prone - հակված dominant - գերակշռող susceptible - ընկալունակ