Left-Handers Day Is August 13, Southpaws Get Their Own Special Holiday!

Today is Left-Handers Day, as August 13th has been set aside to acknowledge the challenges and other aspects uniquely associated with being a left-handed person.

Left-Handers Day is relevant to about 10% of the population, all of whom identify as left-handed. And it’s not just American left-handers who can celebrate, it’s actually International Left-Handers Day, so southpaws the world over can rejoice in a day dedicated to those who got to use special scissors in kindergarten and bat from the other side of the plate.

One left-hander commented to ABC News today, on Left-Handers Day, about growing up in a time when lefties were less accommodated in school and by society in general — lefty Jane Angelich of San Francisco, 60, explains that when she was growing up, some of the old prejudices about left-handers colored her experiences:

“Everyone assumed I should be able to switch and use my right hand… It’s tough when you’re a kid and you’re different from everyone else. But you grow out of it. Now I love being a lefty.”

Indeed, what is now a pretty standard deviation was once considered a big flaw — a lot of terms we use today with negative connotations (such as “gauche,” which means “to the left,” and “sinister”) stem from anti-left-handed sentiments that were more common in the past.

But while society used to beat up on left-handers in the past, the trait is no longer seen as a bad one — in fact, two of our most recent presidents (Barack Obama and Bill Clinton), not only leaned left, but also were indeed lefties overall.

Are you celebrating International Left-Handers Day? Perhaps with a trip to the Leftorium?