9.05.2009

Left-Handers Facts Pt.9

Talk-Show Lefties
Ricki Lake
Jay Leno
David Letterman
Jon Stewart
Oprah Winfrey

The left-hander’s ability to surprise may well extend to their intellectual properties. The military careers of lefties like Alexander the Great or Napoleon profited from their ability to outwit the enemy through surprising strategies on the battlefield. As the philosopher Walter Benjamin once said, “All the decisive blows are struck left-handed.”

Did you know that there are no derogatory terms for left-handed people in common usage in the English language? Most of the terms-lefties, left-handers, left-siders-are straightforward, as well as the not-unfriendly terms “southpaws” and “portsiders” (from the “port” side of the ship).
When gypsies pass leadership from one chief to the next, they mix the blood from their left wrists as part of the ceremony.

Todd McFarlane is a Canadian comic book artist, writer, toy manufacturer/designer, and media entrepreneur who is best known as creator of the occult fantasy series Spawn. The multitalented southpaw attended Eastern Washington University on a baseball scholarship and sought to play baseball professionally after graduation until a career ending ankle injury in his junior year. He went on to become a comic book superstar with his work on Marvel Comics’ Spider-Man franchise, but in recent years, has been focusing on entrepreneurial efforts such as McFarlane Toys and Todd McFarlane Entertainments, a film and animation studio.

A study for the National Institute of Sports and Physical Education in Paris, France, found that left-handers have faster eye-hand coordination with their nonpreferred hand than right-handers do. This means southpaws have an absolute advantage over right-handers in motor speed.

Left-handers are considered particularly advantaged in combat sports, such as fencing. Matthieu Gourdain, Fabrice Jeannet, Hughes Obry, and Giuseppe and Edoardo Mangiarotti are successful fencers who exhibit this advantage.

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