All That’s Left
Sunday
For most of human history, about 10% of the population was left-handed. However, because lefties were often harshly treated in the past, more people are now identifying as left-handed. Female lefties are the rarest breed, comprising only about 8% of all women, as opposed to 12% of men being lefties.
Monday
Lefties had a bad reputation in certain circles, which may explain their early reticence to reveal themselves. One biblical verse seems to indicate those near God’s right hand are saved, but those near his left hand are doomed, and the word “sinister” is indeed Latin for “on the left side.” Accordingly, some religious schools forbade lefties from writing with their preferred hand. However, other Bible verses seem to smile upon lefties.
Tuesday
Notably, this lefty stigmatization was the likely reason why now-debunked research showing that lefties die younger got it wrong. The research drew from people who lived during these lefty-shaming times, so did not account for born lefties who were forced to “convert” and hence appeared as right-handed in the research.
Wednesday
For years, lefties prided themselves on supposedly being more creative, but this longstanding belief was also recently disproven. A large 2025 Cornell University study reviewed a century’s worth of data on lefties in the creative fields, and as one researcher concluded, “the data do not support any advantage in creative thinking for lefties.”
Thursday
Lefties are overrepresented in several sports, accounting for over 25% of major league pitchers, and studies have shown disproportionate lefty numbers in tennis, table tennis, fencing, martial arts, and boxing.
Friday
In the last 50 years, a remarkably disproportionate five US presidents were naturally left-handed, including Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. In 1992, every major party presidential candidate was a lefty.
Saturday
Why yes, there is an International Left Handers Day: August 13th.