From Obama to Lady Gaga: Left-handers who made their mark

Some of the most important bills in US history have been signed by presidents Ford, Bush Senior, Clinton and Obama, using their left hand. Reagan is sometimes cited as ambidextrous while Ford said he wrote with his right hand while standing. Obama, however, used that famous left hand to pitch, put and throw. "That's what I do," he once said after nailing a three-pointer in basketball.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less," Marie Curie once said. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, were both left-handed. Historically, left-handedness was seen negatively. In the scientist's native language, Polish, left colloquially means "illegal," while in her adoptive French, "gauche" is a synonym for clumsy.

It is unclear whether Mozart was left-handed or ambidextrous. In the past, left-handers were forced to become right-handers due to biases associated with witchcraft and devil worship. Left-hand writers face the challenge of avoiding smearing the ink when writing. Mozart's scores are considered impeccable, which is one of the reasons it is believed he was comfortable using both.

Being left-handed shaped McCartney's playing style, as well as the composition of the Beatles' photos, such as this shot from 1962. The musician is somewhat ambidextrous, leading to an urban myth claiming that the only thing he does left-handed is play guitar — which he's denied in several interviews. Meanwhile, Ringo Starr played a right-handed setup on the drums despite also being southpaw.

The talk-show diva Oprah Winfrey is also part of the select left-handed club. Only 10-15% of the population is left-handed, which is partly influenced by a genetic component. More men are left-handed than women. Other famous women in show business who are lefties: Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lawrence and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Whether it was "Hey Joe," "Crosstown Traffic" or "All Along the Watchtower," Jimi Hendrix didn't let his left-handedness hold him back while he strummed the guitar. Being left-handed does make a difference in the design of the instrument. The thickest string on the right-handed guitar will always be on the left side, whereas the thickest string on the left-handed guitar will be on the right side

Legendary silent-film comedian and director Charlie Chaplin was also a musician who composed his own scores. He was also a cello and violin player, and he reversed the strings of his violin so he could play left-handed.

Rafael Nadal's "lefty" forehand has taken him to 22 Grand Slam titles. But Nadal is not entirely left-handed. "I'm a little bit strange in that I eat and play basketball with the right, I play tennis and football with the left." There is an urban legend that his coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, had instructed him to change from using his right, but the 62-year-old has said this is not the case.

Numerous characters on "The Simpsons" are seen writing with their left hands, including Bart, Marge and Mr. Burns, among others. Perhaps then it is no great surprise to discover that the creator of the iconic satirical depiction of American life — Matt Groening — is himself left-handed.

Lady Gaga plays guitar with her right hand and holds mics with her left. Most of her 24 tattoos are on the left side of her body, including a quote in German from the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke. Before she became a star, she had promised her father that she would limit her tattoos to the left side of her body, following his request to stay "slightly normal" on one side.