Famous Lefties Quiz: Left-Handed Stars, Leaders and Legends

This famous lefties quiz looks at left-handed people who left their mark, from Leonardo da Vinci's mirror writing and Barack Obama's signature to Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and Babe Ruth, plus a few facts about lefties in general. Ten questions.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 90 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 90s

Art
Which Renaissance genius filled his notebooks with left-handed mirror writing?
Politics
Which left-handed U.S. president was sworn in in 2009?
Music
Which Beatle plays a left-handed bass guitar?
Music
Which guitar legend often played a right-handed guitar flipped upside down and restrung?
Tennis
Which tennis great plays left-handed even though he does most other things right-handed?
Soccer
Which Argentine star is famous for his powerful left foot?
Baseball
Which baseball legend, nicknamed The Bambino, batted and threw left-handed?
Statistics
Roughly what share of the world's people are left-handed?
Language
The word sinister comes from the Latin word for which side?
Calendar
On which date is International Left-Handers Day celebrated?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Renaissance genius filled his notebooks with left-handed mirror writing?
Answer: Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo wrote from right to left, so his notes are easiest to read in a mirror. Writing this way may have helped him avoid smudging the ink.
Q2: Which left-handed U.S. president was sworn in in 2009?
Answer: Barack Obama
Obama is one of several recent left-handed presidents, along with Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Q3: Which Beatle plays a left-handed bass guitar?
Answer: Paul McCartney
McCartney's violin-shaped Höfner bass is built for a lefty. Ringo Starr is left-handed too but plays a kit set up for right-handers.
Q4: Which guitar legend often played a right-handed guitar flipped upside down and restrung?
Answer: Jimi Hendrix
Hendrix played his Fender Stratocasters flipped over, which gave his guitars an unusual look and feel.
Q5: Which tennis great plays left-handed even though he does most other things right-handed?
Answer: Rafael Nadal
Nadal has said his uncle and coach, Toni, encouraged him to play left-handed. He won 22 Grand Slam singles titles, including 14 French Opens.
Q6: Which Argentine star is famous for his powerful left foot?
Answer: Lionel Messi
Messi scores most of his goals with his left foot. Diego Maradona, another Argentine legend, was also a famous left-footer.
Q7: Which baseball legend, nicknamed The Bambino, batted and threw left-handed?
Answer: Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth began his career as an outstanding left-handed pitcher before becoming baseball's greatest home run hitter.
Q8: Roughly what share of the world's people are left-handed?
Answer: About 10 percent
Studies suggest about 1 in 10 people are left-handed. Men are slightly more likely than women to be lefties.
Q9: The word sinister comes from the Latin word for which side?
Answer: Left
In Latin, sinister meant left. Over time it took on a sense of bad luck, while dexter, meaning right, gave us dexterous.
Q10: On which date is International Left-Handers Day celebrated?
Answer: August 13
The day was first held in 1976 and is promoted by the Left-Handers Club in the United Kingdom.

Famous Lefties Quiz – A Celebration of Left-Handers

Left-handed people make up only about one in ten of the world's population, yet they appear again and again among famous artists, leaders, musicians and athletes. For centuries lefties were treated with suspicion, and many children were forced to write with their right hand. Today, left-handedness is widely accepted, and it is often seen as an advantage in some sports.

Some of history's best-known figures were lefties. Leonardo da Vinci wrote his notes in mirror script from right to left. In politics, several recent U.S. presidents, including Gerald Ford, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, wrote with their left hands. Writers, scientists and comedians also appear on lists of famous lefties.

Music has its own left-handed icons. Paul McCartney plays a left-handed bass, while Jimi Hendrix turned right-handed guitars upside down. In sport, left-handers can surprise opponents who are used to facing right-handers. Babe Ruth, Rafael Nadal, Martina Navratilova and Lionel Messi all used their left side to dominate their games.

Scientists are still studying why some people are left-handed. Genes play a role, but so do many other factors that influence how the brain develops before birth. Lefties also face small everyday challenges, from scissors and can openers to notebooks with spiral bindings, which is why International Left-Handers Day on August 13 raises awareness of their needs.

This quiz covers famous left-handers and fun facts about lefties.

What This Quiz Teaches

This quiz is great for lefties, their friends and anyone who enjoys surprising trivia.

Which famous artists and leaders were left-handed
How left-handed musicians adapted their instruments
Why lefties can have an edge in sports
How common left-handedness is
Where the word sinister comes from
When International Left-Handers Day takes place

Quick Facts About Left-Handers

In The Simpsons, Ned Flanders runs the Leftorium, a store for left-handed products.
Left-handed pitchers in baseball are called southpaws.
Many left-handed people are better than average at using their other hand.
In some sports, such as fencing and tennis, lefties are overrepresented at the top level.
Writing from left to right makes it easier for left-handers to smudge ink.
Some cultures have long linked the left hand with bad luck.