Left-handed (or lefty, or southpaw, or sinistral) is a term used for people who prefer using their left hand over their right to perform majority of day-to-day actions like eating, writing, playing, painting, etc. They are known as left-hand dominant as their left hand is more dexterous. 90% of the world population comprises right-handed people. Earlier, being a lefty was a social stigma as it was associated with evil or misfortune. But, this is not true! In fact, on observing the following list, you will find that many successful people (right from rulers, generals, scientists, to artists, entrepreneurs, celebrities) in various fields are left-handed. Facts about Being Left-handed There are theories that suggest the advantages of being left-handed. But, some of these are mere factoids or observations, and are not proven with credible research or studies.

• Studies say that these people can adjust readily underwater than right-handed people.
• It is found that people who scale to the extremes on an IQ text are usually left-handed.
• Athletes (specially left-handed tennis players, batsmen, bowlers, etc.) have an advantage over right-handed ones, as they are more practiced to deal with right-handed players.
• Secondly, in sports, it also happens that a shot by a right-handed player goes to the stronger hand of the left-handed player; with the latter gaining advantage of it.
• Facts do suggest that among left-handed population, majority are males than females.
• Left-handedness (or any handedness) is not inherited from parents to the child.

Rulers	U.S Presidents	Athletes
Alexander, the Great	Barack Obama	John McEnroe
Napoleon Bonaparte	Bill Clinton	Martina Navratilova
Julius Caesar	George H. W. Bush	Monica Seles
Charlemagne	Harry Truman	Mark Spitz
Fidel Castro	Gerald Ford	Babe Ruth
Queen Victoria	James A. Garfield	Randy Johnson
King George VI	Herbert Hoover	Larry Bird

Artists / Writers	Actors	Misc
Leonardo Da Vinci	Charlie Chaplin	Bill Gates
Michelangelo	Tom Cruise	Henry Ford
Mozart	Robert De Niro	David Rockefeller
Ludwig van Beethoven	Greta Garbo	Sir Isaac Newton
Paul McCartney	Amitabh Bachchan	Marie Curie
Ringo Starr	Whoopi Goldberg	Joséphine de Beauharnais
Lewis Carroll	Angelina Jolie	Oprah Winfrey
H.G Wells	Nicole Kidman	David Cameron
Jimi Hendrix	Keanu Reeves	Edwin Aldrin
Justin Bieber	Bruce Willis	Prince William

As it was believed in olden days that being a lefty was evil, there are still many cases where parents force their naturally left-handed kid to use his right hand for writing and other activities. Being left-handed is definitely normal. Parents should make sure not to force their kid to alter his handedness. Left-handed or Cross-dominant? Now, there are some people who can use both their hands with equal dexterity. They are ambidextrous and comprise 1% of the total population. Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most famous ambidextrous artist in the world. Although writing with the other hand (the non-dominant one) is possible with some practice, natural ambidexterity is rare, and something that is inborn. Lord Baden-Powell (Robert Baden-Powell), Maria Sharapova, Ronald Reagan, Luke Jensen, Bill Durnan, etc., are other notable ambidextrous people. On the other hand, there are people who use their dominant hand for certain activities, while the non-dominant one for others. For e.g., a sportsman may throw, bowl, bat left-handed, but, write with his right hand; or vice versa. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar is a right-handed batsman, but writes with this left hand. On the contrary, tennis ace Rafael Nadal plays with his left hand, but writes with his right one. This is known as cross-dominance. Ambidexterity is a type of cross-dominance. It may be possible that these people were born left-handed and were taught to write with their right hand. As mentioned above, ambidexterity is rare; but, cross-dominance is comparatively common. A few notable cross-dominant people in the world include: Benjamin Franklin, Jim Carrey, Kobe Bryant, Michael Angelo Batio, Nikola Tesla, Oscar Wilde, Sourav Ganguly, Sylvester Stallone, etc. It is quite difficult for left-handed people to live in a world where most tools and machines are designed for right hand use. However, we find that left-handed people all over the world have excelled beyond imagination in every field. Perhaps, it won't be an exaggeration to say that most of the noteworthy people in the world were left-handed!