The Left-Hander's Calendar

So; as most of you know (or now know!) I'm left-handed.  Something that has just always been, but in the recent years has become something I'm proud of and also a little bit of a joke with-in my family.  It's all my mom's fault really; a few years ago she bought me a book called "The Left-Hander's Handbook."  The book was full of fun random facts; but what I took most from it was to be a "liberated lefty," no longer would I be stuck in the corner against the wall or squished between two people feeling that I don't deserve my fair share of elbow space while eating just because I used my left hand!!  Boy; if only she knew what she was opening up for me when she bought me that book she might have thought twice ;)

I recently read another book about being left handed; and while it was quite interesting I can't remember the title at this moment or seem to know where the book is.  I think I lent it to a fellow lefty!  The fact that I found most eye opening from that book was this; in almost all species of animal; the tendency for handedness is pretty much 50/50; except for in humans where right-handedness is about 90% likely and left-handedness is between 10-12% likely.  The one exception to this is that parrots also have a ratio of 10-12% left-handedness and about 90% right-handedness.  Right now your probably wondering what I'm talking about because parrots don't even have hands!  But they do have a "hand" preference with regards to which of their feet.  What I'm really getting at; and what makes this so interesting is that besides humans, parrots are the only other species that can talk!  This particular book was about a guys going on a "quest" to find out where handedness stems from; and a lot of people think it comes from the same area of the brain as speech.

Ok; enough of that tangent.  My lovley mother likes to foster in us the things that make us unique; and for me, one of those things is my handedness.  She bought me (last year I think) a wooden spoon that is made for a left handed person.  And her latest purchase (thought it might have been from Santa; now I'm not too sure) was The Left-Hander's Calendar!  It's one of those page a day calendars!!  So every day I am provided with either a quote by a lefty or a fact about something orsomeone who is left-handed.  I'm totally loving it!!  And everyday it also gives me a list of famous people who are left handed; pretty neat.

So now for some fun lefty facts (gathered from my calendar and from my book):

• January 1st 2009 - 779A.D. Happy New Year!  Emperor Charlemagne established our present calendar.  (he was a lefty; bet you didn't know that!)
• January 2nd 2009 - Left-handers really are special; and brain scanning, along with the latest genetic technology, is finally enabling scientists to crack the mysteries of what makes us left-handed.  Research geneticist Clyde Franks of OXford University found that left-handers tend to share a variant of a gene named LRRTM1.  This gene , however, appears to influence handedness only of it is inherited from the father.
• January 13th 2009 - Test conducted by Alan Searleman from St. Lawrence University in New York found there were more left-handed people with IQs over 140 then right-handed people. (No comments  ;))
• Lefty's have an advantage in both baseball and fencing when it comes to playing with their right-handed counter parts
• Michaelangelo; Rapheal and Leonardo were all left-handed
• But so were Jack the Ripper and the Boston Strangler (due to living in a right-hand bias world I'm sure)
• I've also read a few places that if the cowllick is counterclockwise then the probability of being left-handed is higher.
• Left-hadned violinists; guitarists, banjoists, etc., must restring their instruments, which are designed wrong-way.  And left-handed saxophonists simply do not exist.  Even gun wrapper openers are right-handed.

Alright; so enough left-handedness for one day.  There will be more; you can count on that, I'm only 17/18 days into my calendar ;)  You can thank my mom for creating this "monster" who will be presenting these tips!  Any fun handedness facts you want to share?