Can You Name These Famous Lefties?

Estimated Completion Time
6 min
Can You Name These Famous Lefties?
Image: Wiki Commons by 20th Century Fox

About This Quiz

OK, southpaws, don't be offended, but the official term for a person who is left-handed is sinistromanual or sinistral ... and it's just what it sounds like. The word comes from the Latin word "sinister," which strictly means "left" but is now associated more with the word "unlucky" or just plain "bad." A 2015 article in Time magazine points out that lefties in the Middle Ages were at risk of being labeled witches, and even in the 20th century, left-handed children were retrained to use their right hands to avoid "feeble-mindedness," according to a 2011 article in the medical journal "The Lancet." A 2013 study published in the journal "Endeavor" found that just 1 percent of Chinese students admit to being left-hand dominant, because the trait is seen as such a negative stigma, even to this day.

So what's a leftie to do? Well, they could take comfort in the fact that huge numbers of famous people are also southpaws. This includes a surprising percentage of U.S. Presidents, Hollywood stars, musicians, sports legends and some of the smartest scientific and business minds who ever lived. Now who's feeble-minded? 

Think you can identify some of the most famous lefties of all-time? Prove it by acing this quiz!

Barrack Obama
Wiki Commons by Marc Nozell
Number 44 used his left hand to write about the audacity of hope. Can you remember his name?
Bill Clinton
Barack Obama
Donald Trump
George Bush
Bill Gates
Wiki Commons by World Economic Forum
Name the left-handed Microsoft co-founder who later switched from computers to philanthropy.
Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Elon Musk
Steve Jobs
Jimi Hendrix
Wiki Commons by Denis Bourez
He flipped a right-handed guitar over and restrung it and managed to become a music legend. Can you name this '60s icon?
Buddy Holly
George Harrison
Jimi Hendrix
Slash

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Babe Ruth
Wiki Commons by Underwood & Underwood
The Great Bambino. The Sultan of Swat. No matter what you call this baseball player born George Herman, don't forget he was a lefty. Know his name?
Hank Aaron
Cal Ripken
Barry Bonds
Babe Ruth
Oprah Winfrey
Wiki Commons by Alan Light
This southpaw rose from poverty in Mississippi to become a media mogul with her own TV network starting in 2008. Who is she?
Martha Stewart
Diana Ross
Oprah Winfrey
Sallie Jessy Raphael
Mark Zuckerberg
Wiki Commons by Anthony Quintano
Who is this lefty, who dropped out of Harvard to focus on a little project he called Facebook?
Alexis Ohanian
Mark Zuckerberg
Steve Jobs
Tom Anderson

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Buzz Aldrin
Wiki Commons by NASA/Bill Ingalls
First man on the moon Neil Armstong was left-handed, as is this individual, who walked just behind Armstrong on that historic day in '69.
Buzz Aldrin
Alan Shepard
Sally Ride
John Glenn
Judy Garland
MGM
Born Frances Ethel Gumm, name this actress who sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as she cradled Toto in her left arm.
Katharine Hepburn
Elizabeth Taylor
Judy Garland
Vivian Leigh
Angelina Jolie
Wiki Commons by Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Name this left-handed star of "Maleficent" and daughter of Jon Voight.
Jennifer Aniston
Sandra Bullock
Angelina Jolie
Julia Roberts

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Marilyn Monroe
Wiki Commons by Trailer screenshot
Norma Jean Dougherty was making drone aircraft during WWII when she was discovered. Can you name this left-handed legend?
Elizabeth Taylor
Marilyn Monroe
Jane Russell
Audrey Hepburn
Napoleon Bonaparte
Jacques-Louis David / National Gallery of Art / Wiki Commons
OK, this guy was left handed, but he wasn't all that short. Can you name this infamous French leader?
Louis XV
Tsar Nicholas II
Napoleon Bonaparte
Julius Caesar
Helen Keller
Wiki Commons by Los Angeles Times
Do you know the name of this writer and activist who faced some monumental challenges throughout her life?
Helen Keller
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Harriet Tubman
Amelia Earhart

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Sylvester Stallone
Wiki Commons by Michael Schilling
Identify this action star who played a Vietnam vet and a boxer trying to take the title.
Tom Cruise
Liam Neeson
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sylvester Stallone
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci / Royal Library of Turin / Wiki Commons
He was a lefty who was also a true Renaissance man, known for both his art and inventions. Can you name him?
William Shakespeare
Francis Bacon
Leonardo da Vinci
Vincent Van Gogh
Marie Curie
Wiki Commons by Jordiferrer
She was the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, but can you name this legendary scientist?
Katie Bouman
Marie Curie
Rosalind Franklin
Ada Lovelace

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Ned Flanders
The Walt Disney Company
Remember which cartoon character opened his very own left-handed store called the Leftorium?
Peter Griffin
Bart Simpson
Stan Smith
Ned Flanders
David Bowie
Team Coco
This singer took us on a Space Odyssey and then became Ziggy Stardust. Think you can name him?
David Bowie
Bob Dylan
John Lennon
Jackson Browne
Lady Gaga
Wiki Commons by Yne Van de Mergel
Stefani Germanotta is her birth name, but you probably know this singer and actress better by her stage name. Know what it is?
Lady Gaga
Kelly Clarkson
Beyonce
Christina Aguilara

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Ringo Starr
Wiki Commons by Eva Rinaldi
Everyone knows Paul McCartney played the bass left-handed, but can you identify the southpaw drummer for The Beatles?
John Lennon
George Harrison
Ringo Starr
Mick Jagger
Prince William
The Royal Family Channel
Know which British royal married Kate Middleton in 2011 and happens to be a lefty like his father?
Prince Harry
Prince Philp
Prince Charles
Prince William
Jerry Seinfeld
Wiki Commons by David Shankbone
Name this TV actor who starred in a show about nothing from 1989 to 1998 before taking a break and making a movie about a cartoon bee.
David Schwimmer
Jerry Seinfeld
Jason Alexander
Michael Keaton

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Julia Roberts
Wiki Commons by GabboT
Do you know which "Pretty Woman" picked up an Oscar for the 2001 movie "Erin Brockovich?"
Julia Roberts
Sandra Bullock
Jennifer Lawrence
Meg Ryan
Bill Clinton
Wiki Commons by Hayden Schiff
As President 42, this left-hander signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and engaged in a scandalous affair that almost cost him his job.
Donald Trump
Bill Clinton
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Lisa Kudrow
Wiki Commons by DanByers
She'll be there for you ... Who is this left-handed "Friends" actress most famous for the smash hit "Smelly Cat?"
Courtney Cox
Jennifer Aniston
Lisa Kudrow
Emily Waltham

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Richard Simmons
Wiki Commons by Angela George
Born Milton Teagle, which southpaw fitness guru had people "Sweatin' to the Oldies?"
Tony Little
Bob Harper
Dr. Oz
Richard Simmons
Tom Cruise
Wiki Commons by The Salvator
Identify this lefty, who slid across the floor in his underwear in "Risky Business" in 1983, kicking off a hugely successful movie career.
Brad Pitt
Dennis Quaid
Tom Cruise
Tom Hanks
Mark Twain
Napoleon Sarony / Portrait of Mark Twain / Wiki Commons
If he had to whitewash a fence, he'd mostly use his left hand. Can you name this iconic American author?
Mark Twain
Nathaniel Hawthorne
F. Scott Fitzgerald
John Steinbeck

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Henry Ford
Hartsook / Portrait of Henry Ford / Wiki Commons
He didn't invent the car, but this legendary businessman sure did make it easier for people to own one. Can you name this lefty?
Milton Hershey
Henry Ford
Elon Musk
Carl Benz
Albert Einstein
Orren Jack Turner / Portrait of Albert Einstein / Wiki Commons
It's all relative, but who knows whether this iconic physicist would have been so successful if he hadn't been born a southpaw. Do you recognize him?
Isaac Newton
Thomas Edison
Charles Darwin
Albert Einstein
Celine Dion
Wiki Commons by Anirudh Koul
Her heart will go on, no matter which hand she holds her mic in. Can you name the left-handed singer who sang the theme song from "Titanic?"
Barbra Streisand
Celine Dion
Faith Hill
Gloria Estefan

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Ronald Reagan
Pete Souza / Ronald Reagan's Presidential Portrait / Wiki Commons
Before getting into politics, this left-handed legend was a successful Hollywood star. Think you can name him?
Donald Trump
Gerald Ford
Ronald Reagan
Bill Clinton
Steve Young
Wiki Commons by SAB0TEUR
Who is this quarterback who managed to succeed despite being a a lefty and a backup to Joe Montana?
Tim Tebow
Steve Young
Tom Brady
Michael Vick
Wayne Gretzky
Wiki Commons by Kris Krüg
Nicknamed "The Great One," can you name this hockey legend who handled his stick left-handed?
Wayne Gretzky
Alexander Ovechkin
Bobby Orr
Bobby Hull

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Justin Bieber
Wiki Commons by Lou Stejskal
Around 2010, this singer could claim to have the most-watched video on YouTube thanks to his song "Baby." Know his name?
Usher
Justin Timberlake
Drake
Justin Bieber
Whoopi Goldberg
Wiki Commons by Rainforest Action Network
When she starred in "Sister Act 2," she was one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood. Remember the name of this left-handed star?
Julia Roberts
Jennifer Lawrence
Whoopi Goldberg
Meg Ryan
Winston Churchill
Wiki Commons by United Nations Information Office
This left-hander, who was Prime Minister of the U.K. during WWII, is remembered for some of the most iconic war speeches of all time. Think you can identify him?
Neville Chamberlain
Winston Churchill
Douglas MacArthur
Dwight Eisenhower

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Martina Navratilova
Wiki Commons by Dbking
She was one of the best tennis players of all time, but do you know the name of this left-handed sports icon?
Martina Navratilova
Monica Seles
Serena Williams
Steffi Graf
Michelangelo
Jacopino del Conte / Michelangelo Buonarroti / Wiki Commons
Sculptor of David and painter of the Sistine Chapel, who is this left-handed Renaissance man?
Leonardo da Vinci
Michelangelo
Raphael
Pablo Picasso
Bob Dylan
Wiki Commons by Alberto Cabello
He plays the guitar right-handed but writes with his left. Do you know the name of this "Highway 61 Revisited" musician?
Bob Dylan
John Lennon
Neil Young
James Taylor

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Robert De Niro
Wiki Commons by Petr Novák
He played Vito Corleone in "The Godfather: Part II." Who is this left-hander who also starred in "Goodfellas?"
Al Pacino
James Caan
Robert De Niro
Marlon Brando