Do you know someone who can use both hands equally well for different tasks? If so, consider yourself lucky. Being able to use both hands as though they’re the dominant hand is a rare skill called ambidexterity. Experts guess that only 1 percent of the world’s population is truly ambidextrous. Discover these famous ambidextrous people throughout history and see what cool things ambidextrous people can do!
Ringo Starr
While drum enthusiasts often debate whether Ringo was truly ambidextrous, he did play a right-handed drum kit despite being dominant in his left hand. According to some rumors, Ringo’s grandmother made him switch hands when he was a child due to superstitions about left-handedness being a sign of evil. While this story is difficult to prove, it is true that many cultures force left-handed people to switch hands, making them semi-ambidextrous.
Ben Franklin
Ben Franklin was one of America’s Founding Fathers and a great inventor. Unsurprisingly, he may have also been ambidextrous. Even though portraits show him with a quill in his right hand, Franklin wrote “A Petition of the Left Hand,” an essay in defense of left-handedness. He also signed the Declaration of Independence with his left hand, showing that he may have used both hands to write.
Kobe Bryant
Did you know that there are several famous NBA players who are ambidextrous? While Kobe Bryant is one of the most well-known cases, other ambidextrous basketball stars include LeBron James and Larry Bird. Though all three prefer to use their left hand for daily tasks, they play basketball right-handed!
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci is one of the world’s most famous inventors and artists. Little do most people know, he was ambidextrous, writing and even painting with both hands. His genius didn’t stop there—da Vinci is also famous for writing his personal notes in mirror writing, meaning they can only be read when held up to a mirror!
If you’re an ambidextrous person, you’re not alone! There are many amazing famous ambidextrous people throughout history who accomplished all sorts of things. Even though ambidexterity is rare, most people consider it to be a sign of creative and ingenious thinking. If you’re ambidextrous, go out there and change the world!