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Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is one of Singapore's most famous lefties.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 13, the 69-year-old leader celebrated being part of the 10 per cent of the population whose left hand is the dominant hand.

Photo of him getting jabbed in right arm

PM Lee's post was accompanied by a photo of him getting his second Covid-19 vaccine jab on his right arm -- an unsubtle reminder for the unvaccinated to go get inoculated as soon as possible.

But the photo also allowed him to segue into a positive and inclusive message: That left-handedness, despite being a minority trait and having negative connotations attached to it in the past, has successfully assimilated into a right-handed world.

PM Lee wrote:

You may have noticed that I got my COVID-19 jabs on my right arm. That’s because the practice is to be jabbed in your non-dominant arm, and I’m left-handed, like about 10% of people.

For earlier generations, being left-handed had negative connotations. Some parents would forcibly train their left-handed children to be right-handed. Fortunately, this is no longer common. You can buy left-handed items like scissors, instruments, and even gaming mice! Left-handed cameras are rare, but I use a right-handed one just fine.

Left-handers have gotten used to living in a majority right-handed world. But today is International Left-Handers Day, our very own day to celebrate being different. Let’s remember that we are all unique in our own special ways, and we can all help build a more inclusive world together. – LHL

Famous left-handed people

Other famous southpaws who are world leaders include former United States president Barack Obama and leader of India's independence movement Mahatma Gandhi.

Physicist Albert Einstein was also left-handed, and so was Beatle John Lennon.

The formal name for left-handedness is sinistrality.

It is derived from the Latin word "sinistra", for "on the left".

Interestingly, the Latin word "sinistra" took on meanings of "evil" or "unlucky" by the Classical Latin era, and this double meaning survives in the English word "sinister".

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Top photo via MCI