Left-Handedness
Whether called left-handed, southpaws, sinister, or just plain backwards, lefties have had a surprising prevalence in their presence across the globe and the resulting claims made about them. This website attempts to research both the causes of left-handedness and the effects it has, both on lefties and on the cultures they are a part of. Also, it examines the mark left-handed people have left on the world in their own right and where common superstitions concerning left-handed people may have come from.
Although left-handedness may seem rather trivial, numerous recent studies have shown that the dominance of one hand over the other may have a much larger effect on a person than one would suspect. And, although the handedness of a historical person often goes unrecorded, it is undebated that lefties have made an impact on the world around them as well: historic war heroes such as Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Joan of Arc are all said to be left handed along with the great Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. In more recent times, five of the last seven presidents have been left handed, as were half of the Beatles (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr), and Jimi Hendrix. They have been renowned scientists (Marie Curie and Isaac Newton), authors (Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll), actors (Charlie Chaplin, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Tina Fey, Harpo Marx, and more), and athletes (Babe Ruth). While the question of which exact traits left handedness tends to convey and how it is passed on are still debated by scientists, it seems inarguable that lefties have not only survived in a 'backwards' and sometimes hostile world, they have also thrived and contributed.
Although left-handedness may seem rather trivial, numerous recent studies have shown that the dominance of one hand over the other may have a much larger effect on a person than one would suspect. And, although the handedness of a historical person often goes unrecorded, it is undebated that lefties have made an impact on the world around them as well: historic war heroes such as Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Joan of Arc are all said to be left handed along with the great Renaissance artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael. In more recent times, five of the last seven presidents have been left handed, as were half of the Beatles (Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr), and Jimi Hendrix. They have been renowned scientists (Marie Curie and Isaac Newton), authors (Mark Twain and Lewis Carroll), actors (Charlie Chaplin, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman, Tina Fey, Harpo Marx, and more), and athletes (Babe Ruth). While the question of which exact traits left handedness tends to convey and how it is passed on are still debated by scientists, it seems inarguable that lefties have not only survived in a 'backwards' and sometimes hostile world, they have also thrived and contributed.
