International Left-Handers Day

What Is International Left-Handers Day?

Every year on August 13, people observe "International Left-Handers Day." It is said to have begun in 1976 at the proposal of Dean R. Campbell in the United States, and since 1992 the UK-based Left-Handers Club has promoted it worldwide. The date is said to come from the founder's birthday. It's an international day for noticing the inconveniences left-handed people face in a world built around right-handed tools and designs, and for thinking about a society that works for everyone.

Left-Handedness: A Minority Hand

Left-handed people are said to make up roughly one in ten people worldwide (about 7-10%). How they have been viewed has changed greatly across eras and cultures.

• Proportion: Left-handers account for around 7-10% of the population and have been a minority in every era and region.
• From correction to respect: In Japan, it was once common to "correct" children to use chopsticks and pencils with their right hand. Today, respecting a person's natural dominant hand is the more widespread view.

Japan's Other Left-Handers Day: February 10

Because August 13 falls during the Obon holiday period in Japan, making events hard to hold, some in Japan have instead marked February 10 as a left-handers' day, reading "0210" as "re-fu-to" (left). In 2009, Kikuya Urakami Shoji, a shop specializing in left-handed goods, applied to the Japan Anniversary Association to make February 10 "Left-Handed Goods Day."

Fun Facts About Left-Handedness

• A right-handed world: Scissors, Japanese teapots (kyusu), the IC card readers on ticket gates, camera shutter buttons -- many everyday tools and facilities are designed on the assumption that you'll use your right hand.
• Left-handed goods: Left-handed scissors, rulers, kitchen knives and even playing cards are available. Their blades or scales run the opposite way.
• The southpaw edge: In face-to-face sports like baseball pitching, tennis and boxing, left-handers are often said to have an advantage because opponents rarely get to practice against them.
• Leonardo da Vinci: He is said to have been left-handed and is famous for writing his notes in reversed "mirror writing."
• Dominant feet and eyes: It's not just hands -- feet and eyes have a dominant side too, and it's not unusual for someone's dominant hand and eye to be on opposite sides.

Ways to Mark the Day

• Look around and notice whether your tools are made for right- or left-handed users
• Try writing or using a mouse with your non-dominant hand
• Ask left-handed colleagues or family members what everyday things they find inconvenient
• Pick up a pair of left-handed scissors or stationery and see how they differ

Noticing Small Inconveniences Is the First Step to Better Design

August 13 is a day to look at our tools and surroundings from the perspective of left-handed people, a minority. Actions that feel natural to right-handers can require constant small adjustments from left-handers. Noticing those small inconveniences offers hints for making products and workplaces that are easier for everyone to use.