Some notable lefties - real and fictional

Why is left handedness even "notable" in the first place? Well, as a left handed person, myself, I have always found it interesting what a minority we are. It might even become a topic of conversation when someone sees us writing. Have you ever been asked to provide your signature on a document and the person giving it you says, "Oh, you're a lefty?" Yes, I know you've experienced it.

In various countries and cultures worldwide, lefties have gained varying forms of acceptance (or not) through time.

In the most extreme cases, being left handed was regarded as something sinister by the applicable society. In milder cases, it was just considered undesirable and not typical.

There were countless instances of children being punished and "retrained" to write with their right hands if they had been seen writing with their left hands in schools and at home.

There were common conceptions but also many misconceptions that neuropsychological issues were more common among lefties. Despite whatever tangible research may have been conducted by professionals in medical communities, many other people developed stereotypes that lefties might be learning disabled or slow learners. More recent arguments in the lefties' defense have indicated that most times, lefties were being taught various skills by righties who were doing things differently. This includes writing for those children who have been allowed to continue writing with their left hand.

From personal experience, I can say knitting and playing the guitar are other examples. Have you ever tried to get knitting lessons from someone who said, "I don't know how to teach a lefty to knit"? Perhaps a right handed person helped you to restring a guitar and make it a left handed guitar, but between the two of you, there was still frustration in the teaching and the learning. Left handed guitarists probably have a much easier time teaching lefties to play guitar.

Issues that some lefties have reported in the world that makes products for the majority right handed population are difficulty using various tools such as scissors and can openers. I've been okay with those, thank goodness. How about you? If not, did you know that there are companies now making products/gifts for the left handed person?

Presently and in recent decades, there has been a "surge" of left handed USA Presidents and other world leaders as well as other famous people, with more lefties just being allowed to develop naturally and not stopped and retrained.

Still less than fifteen percent of the population and a significant minority, many of us lefties have taken claim of our unique quality especially when righties acknowledge and comment on it. There are even slogans now akin to "Lefties Unite!". Did you know that there is a even left hander's day, August 13th?

Additionally, there are more left handed men than left handed women. geogee.wordpress.com was able to report the statistic that:

• 1 in 9 men are left handed
• 1 in 13 women are left handed

One positive attribute that lefties have often been associated with is creativity and intelligence.

Here is where I will start the list of notable lefties.

Michelangelo and this masterpiece artist, the left handed Leonardo DaVinci are my favorite artists of all time as many would agree.

Albert Einstein, the theoretical Physicist and winner of the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics has long been thought to have been left handed but this has been disputed as fact (on insufficient evidence of his handedness preference).

USA Presidents

• Barack Obama
• Bill Clinton
• George Bush (senior)
• Ronald Reagan
• Gerald Ford

As well as famous actors, musicians and entrepreneur moguls

• Bill Gates
• Steve Jobs
• Oprah Winfrey
• Nicole Kidman
• Keanu Reaves
• Julia Roberts
• Angelina Jolie
• Mary Kate Olsen
• Tom Cruise
• Robert Dinero
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Faith Hill
• 50 Cent
• Justin Bieber
• Lady Gaga

And the animated/cartoon fictional characters

• Bart Simpson
• Marge Simpson
• Ned Flanders

The physicist, Marie Curie was left handed as well. So was baseball player, Babe Ruth. The term "southpaw" for lefties was known to relate to baseball and left handed pitchers.