|
You see, my dad is
left-handed. Always has been and always will be. Even when some of
his grade school teachers would make him write with his right hand,
Dad stayed true to his left-handedness.
As a result of Dad being left-handed, I grew up left-handed, too,
even though I'm a natural right-hander. When I was 4 years old, I
would borrow the left-handed baseball glove that belonged to my
left-handed dad. As a result, I learned to throw left-handed.
Like every young boy, I wanted to be like my dad, and I also
liked being left-handed. I remained a lefty until the seventh grade,
when I realized that they don't let left-handers play the infield in
baseball. So I taught myself how to throw right-handed, and I've
been ambidextrous ever since. Being ambidextrous comes in handy when
you're in a snowball fight. Trust me.
This week's story was originally going to be about all the famous
left-handed inventors out there, but there are actually very few of
them. So we'll go out on a tangent and include left-handed actors
and actresses, left-handed presidents, and others. We'll leave out
any mention of all the left-handed athletes, because there are too
many to mention in this space.
Statistically, only 10 percent of the population is left-handed,
which doesn't explain why there are so few left-handed inventors.
The greatest of all time were Leonardo da Vinci and Ben Franklin.
Scientists Albert Einstein, Marie Curie and Albert Schweitzer were
left-handed too, as was author and part-time inventor Mark Twain.
There are far more left-handed entertainers than left-handed
inventors. Some of the more well-known lefty actors have been
Charlie Chaplin, Harpo Marx, Larry Fine (of the Three Stooges), W.C.
Fields, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, George Burns and Michael Landon of
"Little House on the Prairie." Also included are Robert Redford,
Sylvester Stallone, Jerry Seinfeld, Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Willis and
Tom Cruise. Even cartoon character Bart Simpson is left-handed,
although this was probably done as a tribute to the left-handed
creator of the show.
Marilyn Monroe was left-handed, as are Carol Burnett, Angelina
Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts and Lisa Kudrow of "Friends"
fame. Also in this exclusive club are Oprah Winfrey and one of the
Olsen twins.
[to top of second column
in this article] |
Syndicated humor columnist Dave Barry is left-handed, and so is
author James Michener. Carmakers Henry Ford, Henry Ford Jr. and
Oldsmobile founder R.E. Olds were all left-handed, as was John D.
Rockefeller. Guitarists Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney are on the
list. Being left-handed didn't stop explorer Bob Ballard from
finding the wrecked Titanic on the ocean floor, and it didn't slow
down Helen Keller either.
The list of famous left-handers extends far back in history, well
beyond the realm of invention and entertainment. Julius Caesar was
left-handed, as were Alexander the Great, Emperor Charlemagne, and
Napoleon and his wife, Josephine. The great philosopher Aristotle,
was left-handed; so were Joan of Arc and artists Michelangelo,
Raphael, Rembrandt and Pablo Picasso.
There must be something about space that inspires left-handers,
because four of the most famous astronauts are lefties: Neil
Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Jim Lovell and Wally Schirra.
Very few of the world's most notorious outlaws have been
left-handed, such as John Dillinger, the Boston Strangler, Jack the
Ripper and Osama bin Laden. Could this have anything to do with the
fact that the Latin word for "left" is "sinister"?
Probably no profession inspires left-handedness more than that of
U.S. president; there have been have been seven among the 43 so far.
Presidents James Garfield (No. 20), Herbert Hoover (No. 31), Harry
Truman (No. 33) and Gerald Ford (No. 38) were all left-handed.
Ronald Reagan (No. 40) was born a lefty, but he switched to become
right-handed. Hey, nobody's perfect. Presidents No. 41 and 42,
George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, are both left-handers. President
John F. Kennedy was not left-handed, but JFK Jr. was.
Some people think it's unlucky to be born left-handed. If that's
true, then why is a lucky rabbit's foot always taken from the left
side of the rabbit?
[Paul Niemann]
Paul Niemann is the author of Invention Mysteries. He can be
reached at niemann7@aol.com.
© Copyright Paul Niemann 2005 |
