Home / August

A little reason to celebrate

International Left-Handers Day

Fun · August 13

A day for left-handed people and the small, constant work of living in a world built mostly for the right hand.

International Left-Handers Day falls on Friday, August 13, 2027. That is 290 days away.

Most people write, throw and reach for a cup with their right hand. A smaller share of people lead with the left, and this international day, also called Lefthanders Day, is about them. It is marked in the United States too, mostly in kitchens, classrooms and offices where someone finally gets the good scissors.

Being left-handed is less about one hand and more about everything around it. Spiral notebooks press the coil into the writing wrist. Ink from a fresh pen line can smudge as the hand moves across the page. Can openers, computer mice, desks with a single armrest and even some guitars assume the right hand is in charge. Many lefties learn to use some of these tools the right-handed way without thinking about it, which leaves a lot of people quietly ambidextrous at a few odd tasks.

People usually mark the day by paying attention. Right-handed friends try writing a sentence with their other hand and find out how slow it feels. Lefties share the small adjustments they have made, like turning the paper at a steep angle or sitting at the left end of a dinner table to avoid bumping elbows.

Tools made for left hands do exist, and the difference can be striking. Left-handed scissors have their blades reversed, so the cutting line stays visible instead of hidden behind the top blade. For someone who has always used the other kind, the first clean cut can feel like a revelation.

Ways to celebrate

• Try writing your name with your nondominant hand.
• Ask a left-handed friend which everyday tool frustrates them most.
• Give the left end of the table to a lefty at dinner.
• Look for left-handed scissors or a left-handed notebook to try.

Dates

All national days on August 13

Also on August 13

• National Filet Mignon Day
• National Prosecco Day

Categories: Fun days