International Lefthanders Day 2025: List of Famous Lefties and Facts You Should Know

Here’s an illustrative carousel of well-known left-handed figures—from artists and actors to athletes—that celebrates the diversity and talent among southpaws!

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International Lefthanders Day 2025

• Date: Celebrated annually on August 13—so mark your calendar for August 13, 2025. The day was established in 1976 to honor left-handed individuals and spread awareness of the challenges they face in a right-handed world .

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Famous Left-Handers You Should Know

Here are some notable individuals known for writing or performing with their left hand:

• Political Leaders: Presidents such as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford—and even some later presidents—are all left-handed .
• Celebrities & Royals: Look for Oprah Winfrey, Justin Bieber, Angelina Jolie, Tina Fey, Babe Ruth, Bill Gates, Ringo Starr, and members of the British royal family like Queen Elizabeth II and Prince William .
• Creative Icons: Historical and cultural icons such as Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Jimi Hendrix, Leonardo da Vinci, and Oprah Winfrey have also been noted as left-handed .
• Musicians: Paul McCartney and Ornette Coleman are examples of left-handed instrumentalists .
• Sporting Advantage: In competitive sports like boxing, fencing, tennis, baseball and cricket, left-handers often benefit from the element of surprise and underrepresentation .

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Fascinating Facts About Left-Handedness

Fact	Insight
Prevalence	Roughly 10% of the global population is left-handed .
Brain Function	Left-handers tend to rely more on the right hemisphere and often have a more interconnected corpus callosum, potentially supporting creativity and cognitive flexibility .
Stroke Recovery	Left-handers might recover language skills faster after a stroke, due to cross-hemispheric brain use .
Sports Edge	They are overrepresented among elite athletes—around 15% of top male tennis players are left-handed, well above average .
Design Disadvantages	From scissors to desks and tools, everyday objects are often made for right-handers—creating usability challenges for left-handed people .
Genetic Insight	Emerging research links rare variants in the gene TUBB4B to left-handedness, but they explain only a tiny fraction; most handedness likely results from random developmental variation .
Health and Neurology	Left-handedness shows moderate association with early-onset neurological conditions like autism and schizophrenia—suggesting a connection with brain lateralization, though most left-handed people experience no issues .

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In Summary

International Lefthanders Day on August 13, 2025 is a great occasion to celebrate the uniqueness of left-handed individuals. From presidents and celebrities to athletes and creative icons, left-handers have made—and continue to make—a powerful impact in many fields. And while they often navigate a world designed for right-handers, their distinct advantages in sport, cognition, and problem-solving offer a compelling glimpse into human diversity.