Left-Handers Day: Celebrate your right to be a lefty

Drew Thomas | USA TODAY

Lefties, today is your day! Aug. 13 marks the 21st annual International Left-Handers Day.

Throughout the year, lefties, like me, are dealt a rough hand. We're forced to put up with items such as doors, scissors and computer keyboards — to name a few — that are crafted for right-handers. But today we unite!

According to lefthandersday.com, International Left-Handers Day was first celebrated in 1992 as an opportunity for left-handers everywhere to celebrate their uniqueness in "Lefty Zones" and increase public awareness of the "struggles left-handers are forced to deal with on a day-to-day basis." Right-handers are encouraged to do everything left-handed for the day.

Only about 10% of the world's population is left-handed. There are some everyday advantages to being a lefty. Left-handers are more likely to pass their driver's test on the first try, a study shows. They are also more apt to deliver a better left hook and be a part of Mensa, the world's largest and oldest high IQ society.

However, there are a few pitfalls to being left-handed. Health conditions tend to affect left-handed people more than right-handed people. In fact, autism, dyslexia and stuttering are more commonly found in lefties. And according to randomhistory.com, left-handers tend to die at a younger age — almost nine years earlier than their right-handed contemporaries. Yikes!

A few famous left-handers:

Barack Obama

Sir Isaac Newton

Prince William of England

Osama bin Laden

Oprah Winfrey

Jay Leno

Marilyn Monroe

Source: Indiana University