Interesting Facts

The word sinister is usually associated with anything harmful or evil, but in heraldry it also means on, or towards the left-hand side. (In late Middle English it developed the sense ‘malicious, underhand’, but it came from the French - sinistre or Latin sinister ‘left’. Unfortunately left side, and subsequently left-handedness, was considered negative in many cultures.)

13th August International Left Handers Day.

13th August is International Left Handers day. (There are left-handed shops in the UK.)

Have you ever wondered why men's clothes have buttons on the right while women's clothes have buttons on the left? (Me neither, but when I read the reason, I thought, "Now that's interesting". Seemingly when buttons were first used they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to push buttons on the right through holes on the left.  However, wealthy women were dressed by maids, and so dressmakers put the buttons on the maid's right. That is where women's buttons have remained ever since. Now where's my maid?) Thanks Marianne

According to experts from the Technical University of Munich, Germany, squeezing a soft ball or making a fist with your left hand could help combat sporting nerves. (Basically when we practice a particular movement thousands of times, it becomes automatic and requires little conscious thought, by shifting the balance of brain activity away from the left side, which governs conscious movement, and towards the right, which is key to automated behaviour, we can reduce the likelihood of choking under pressure and because each of our arms is connected to the opposite side of the brain, this can be done by clenching the left hand. Now, two thoughts come to mind.  We should test this theory the next time England needs to take a penalty, and I wonder if clenching the right hand can reduce exam nerves.)

Being either left handed or right handed was once a trait believed to be unique to humans, but it turns out that parrots prefer to use one side of their body more than the other too.  (I wonder if we can teach them to write?!) xx Source - BBC