About International Left Handers Day
This day is celebrated to highlight those of us who live in a right-handed world, where using simple tools like scissors and can openers are awkward for nearly 10% of people.
Notable people who are lefties include Barack Obama, Prince William and Whoopi Goldberg.
International Left-Handers Day is observed annually on August 13th to celebrate the uniqueness and differences of the left-handers. The day was first observed in 1976 by Dean R. Campbell, founder of the Lefthanders International, Inc. International Left-Handers Day was created to celebrate sinistrality and raise awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed in a predominantly right-handed world. It celebrates left-handed people’s uniqueness and differences, a subset of humanity comprised of seven to ten per cent of the world's population. The day also spreads awareness on issues faced by left-handers e.g. the importance of the special needs for left-handed children, and the likelihood for left-handers to develop schizophrenia. There are approximately 708 million left-handed people in the world. Men are more likely to be left-handed than women.
If you’re in the UK on the 13th, the Left-handers Club sponsors members-only areas called “Lefty Zones."
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