Left-Handers Facts Pt.2

Singing Lefties:
Kurt Cobain
Billy Ray Cyrus
Lauryn Hill
Pink
Prince
Lou Rawls
Paul Simon

On the cartoon The Simpsons, each character has appeared as a lefty at least once. In fact, there are Web sites devoted to tracking just who is left-handed in each episode. It’s not surprise-Matt Groening, The Simpsons’ creator, is left-handed.

How Many Left-Handers Are There?
There are more than 500 million left-handed people on the planet.

Q: Who was the first southpaw to walk on the moon?
A: Although he set foot on the moon second, Buzz Aldrin has the distinction of being the first lefty.

Did you know that whites, blacks, and North American Indians are more likely to be left-handed than people of other lineages? Just over 9 percent of Asians and Hispanics are lefties.

Inspiration from Lefties
“In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”-Paul McCartney

Charlotte Faurie, of the University of Montpellier in France, said, “The fact that left-handers are less common means they have a surprise effect.” John McEnroe, who was born on this date [February 16] in 1959, and won seven Grand Slam titles in his career in the 1980s, is a great example. His opponents were often caught off guard by his left-handed serve and its angles.

Coco Montoya is a blues guitarist and former member of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. Montoya is left-handed but plays “upside-down right-handed” guitar. He contrasts with the style of fellow left-handers Jimi Hendrix and Tony Iommi, whose guitars are re-strung for left-handers.

When pitching, lefties throw “curves” or “moves” more, so it is more difficult for a right-handed batter to predict where the ball will be when crossing the plate. Because most batters are right-handed, southpaws are highly valued in the game of baseball.

The Handedness Research Institute was established in 2001 to advance the scientific understanding of handedness (left-handed, right-handed, and ambidextral manual preferences) and to help alleviate the social and educational discrimination of left-handers worldwide through research and education. It’s located in Bloomington, Indiana.