“I may be left-handed but I’m always right” 

13th of August is International Left Handers Day and for all the lefty’s out there a day to celebrate their uniqueness by recognising all those individuals who have mastered their field using their left hand in a right-handed world. 

International Left Handers Day was founded in 1992 in the United Kingdom. Because of the popularity of this observation in the United States, the Registrar at National Day Calendar added the day to its list of national days.  

Approximately 10% of the world's population are Left handers.

Scientists don’t know why a person develops Left-handedness, but it’s more likely a child will be left-handed if one parent is too.  

In years gone by left-handed children were forced to use their right hands, with the predominant use of the left hand told to be evil and parents feared their communities would shun their children.  

It is interesting to note that while it is readily accepted nowadays, the occurrence of left-handedness hasn’t increased. 

According to an ABC News Report, researchers from QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the University of Queensland have identified 48 genetic variants that influence if a person is left-handed, right-handed, or ambidextrous. 

Forty-one variants were linked to left-handedness and seven were associated with ambidexterity. 

“Handedness is one of those things where both genetics and environment play a large role and what we’ve been able to do is advance the knowledge quite a bit further in the genetics side,” Professor Sarah Medland from QIMR Berghofer’s Psychiatric Genetics Group said.  

“Each of these (variants) are just little changes in the DNA – each of them individually has very, very small effects – but when you consider all effects together, they start to add up.” 

Researchers tapped into international biobanks to analyse genetic data from more than 1.7 million samples, making it one of the largest investigations of its kind, according to the report. 

Environmental factors play a larger role than genes in determining which hand a person favours, according to the professor. 

There are plenty of famous Left-handers all over the world: Interesting to note that eight US presidents were Left-handed - Obama, Clinton, George Bush, Gerald Ford, Harry Truman, Ronald Reagan, Herbert Hoover and James Garfield while in Australia politicians Tony Elliot and Michaela Cash are left-handed as well as Winston Churchill from the UK. 

So don’t be shy on Left-handers Day. Show the world how brilliant and unique you truly are. 

With so many famous lefty’s you can’t go wrong. 

Famous Australian lefties 

Left-handers have long been prominent across the Australian sports landscape:

Marcos Ambrose (Motor Racing) 

Wayne Arthurs (Tennis) 

Michael Bevan  (Cricket) 

Allan Border  (Cricket) 

Norman Brookes  (Tennis) 

Bruce Carter  (Boomerang Throwing) 

Ric Charlesworth  (Hockey, Cricket) 

Greg Chalmers (Golf) 

Michael Clark (Cricket) 

Brett Clarke (Table Tennis) 

Joe Darling (Cricket) 

Scott Draper (Tennis) 

Neale Fraser (Tennis) 

Wayne Gardner (Motor Racing) 

Adam Gilchrist (Cricket) 

Matthew Hayden (Cricket) 

Cara Honeychurch (Tenpin Bowling) 

Rod Laver (Tennis) 

Paul Langley (Table Tennis) 

Darren Lehmann (Cricket) 

Peter Lewry (Boomerang Throwing) 

Rodney Marsh (Cricket) 

Nick O'Hearn (Golf) 

Roger Perry (Boomerang Throwing) 

Neil Robertson (Snooker) 

Tony Roche (Tennis) 

Alois Rosario (Table Tennis) 

Ben Simmons (Basketball) 

Mitchell Starc (Cricket) 

Michael Slater (Cricket) 

Mark Smythe (Table Tennis) 

Jeff Williams (Baseball) 

Mark Woodforde (Tennis) 

Left-handedness has hardly been a handicap for Adam Gilchrist!

Left-handers have made their mark in the entertainment industry.

Scott Carne  (Music) 

Angela Catterns  (Radio) 

Conrad Coleby  (Actor) 

Rodger Corser (Actor) 

Judy Davis (Actor) 

Cameron Daddo (TV, Radio) 

Jon English (Music, Actor) 

Mark Ferguson (TV News) 

Germaine Greer (Author) 

Richard Grieve (Actor) 

Natalie Imbruglia (Music, Actor) 

Hugh Jackman (Actor) 

Amanda Keller  (TV, Radio) 

Nicole Kidman (Actor) 

John Larkin (Author)  

Curtis Stone (TV Chef) 

Richard Stubbs (Radio) 

Greedy Smith (Music)  

Kim Watkins (TV) 

Emily Weir (Actor) 

Bruce Woodley (Music) 

Two of our favourite left-handed Aussie entertainers. IMAGE: IMDb

Other famous Lefties include:  

• Mozart 
• David Bowie 
• Jimi Hendrix 
• Cardi B 
• Paul McCartney 
• Ringo Starr 
• Justin Bieber 
• Annie Lennox 
• Sting 
• Paul Simon 
• Barry Gibb 
• Phil Collins 
• Tommy Iommi 
• Tim Armstrong 
• Bob Geldof 
• Eminem 
• Lady Gaga 
• Ricky Martin 
• Noel Gallagher 
• Seal 
• Albert King 
• Otis Rush 
• Duane Allman 
• Tiny Tim 
• Kris Roe 
• Michael Fry 

Left-handed guitar master Jimi Hendrix (1967).

But wait, there's more...

Left-Handed Artists, Inventors, Scientists, Moguls and Philosophers 

• Bill Gates 
• Oprah Winfrey 
• Steve Jobs 
• Mark Zuckerberg 
• Henry Ford 
• Nikola Tesla 
• Marie Curie 
• Leonardo Da Vinci 
• Michelangelo Buonaroti 
• Neil Armstrong 
• Napoleon Bonaparte 
• Julius Caesar 
• Aristotle 
• Helen Keller 

Left-Handed Actors and Directors 

• Goldie Hawn 
• Ben Stiller 
• Drew Barrymore 
• Robert De Niro 
• Kim Basinger 
• Bruce Willis 
• Morgan Freeman 
• Jennifer Lawrence 
• Seth Rogen 
• Tina Fey 
• Jeremy Renner 
• Hugh Jackman 
• Jennifer Saunders 
• Tim Allen 
• Will Ferrell 
• Dan Aykroyd 
• Whoopi Goldberg 
• Jim Carrey 
• Scarlett Johansson 
• Mark Wahlberg 
• Lisa Kudrow 
• Ron Perlman 
• Kenneth Branagh 
• Sarah Jessica Parker 
• Martin Freeman 
• Gordon Ramsay 
• Julianne Moore 
• Keanu Reeves 
• Christian Slater 
• Richard Dreyfuss 
• Diane Keaton 
• Jerry Seinfeld 
• Marilyn Monroe 
• Brad Pitt 
• Julia Roberts 
• Tom Cruise 
• Angelina Jolie 
• Matt Groening 
• Charlie Chaplin 
• Spike Lee 
• Matt Dillon 
• Nicole Kidman 
• Matthew Broderick 
• Sylvester Stallone 
• James Cromwell 
• Mary-Kate Olsen 
• Val Kilmer 
• Ashley Olsen 
• Pierce Brosnan 
• Judy Garland 
• James Cameron 
• Kate Hudson 
• Mark Hamill 
• Rebel Wilson 
• Owen Wilson 

Left-Handed Athletes 

• Diego Armando Maradona 
• Pele 
• Martina Navratilova 
• Babe Ruth 
• Mark Spitz 
• Oscar De La Hoya 
• Phil Mickelson 
• Rafael Nadal 
• John McEnroe