This, of course, assumed that both attacker an defender were right-handed, which most were.

It’s been claimed that the Kerr family had a preponderance of left handers (hence the term Corrie-fisted) and consequently built their staircases to spiral in the opposite direction.

I’m not sure there’s much evidence to support this, but it’s a good story.

Guns I’d shoot left-handed, but some you simply cannot do that with unless you want a spent cartridge in the face.

Ooh yeah. Army cadets at school on the open ranges at Warcop with a Lee Enfield .303. I was a marksman at 100 and 200 yards but holding the rifle left handed and then working the bolt after each shot was a real PITA as you kind of punched yourself in the face each time you pulled it back and then had to dodge the spent cartridge.

A real nice kick on those things into the bony shoulder of a skinny 14/15 year old boy in the late 70’s. we used to put our berets inside those itchy shirts they made us wear.

As a poncey creative type I work with loads of lefties.

I don’t know what percentage of the population are left-handed but the highest ratio I’ve worked with was in a studio of 16 designers and illustrators, 10 were lefties.

“I don’t know what percentage of the population are left-handed…..”

around 10%

IT seems to pull in more lefties than normal. I’ve had several teams where we’ve all been lefthanded.

I’ve got a MAc and PC on my work desk, Mac has mouse on right, desktop has it on left, more for space issues but it confuses the hell out of visitors.

I know my grandmother tried to get me to write with my right hand until my mother told her to back off. the only problem I had a school was dragging my left hand through the wet ink as I was writing with a fountain pen (which probably explains 70% of the interesting ways lefties hold a pen).

Another lefty here! Always thought the split between left and right was fairly even as a child as Mum and two older sisters are right handed and me and Dad are the lefties.
I’m 49 (next week) and never had any problems with school forcing me to be a right hander, although they wouldn’t have got very far if they’d tried! Dad, who is in his eighties, had his mum, a very feisty woman, fight his corner. She apparently stormed off down to the primary school and played hell with the teacher who tried to force him to be right handed!! A brave move in those days I think?!!
As to professions, I was a florist for many years, and us sinister lot definitely dominate there… think there was actually more left handers than right where I worked!

Anyway, when I started school I worte with my left hand, the teacher told me off and made me use my right. Going so far as to tie my left arm to my side to ‘help’ me. I’m ‘only’ 41.

That’s shocking. I’m older than you and the lefties in my infant school class were all encouraged.

the only problem I had a school was dragging my left hand through the wet ink as I was writing with a fountain pen

In theory the same should apply to right-handers in the Arabic world, but it doesn’t. I worked with a guy who could speak and write Arabic. He looked at me perplexed when I told him the ink drying theory. I asked him to write with his fountain pen so I could watch – he had his hand turned around slightly more than I would, so it went underneath the line he was writing – no issue.

There are definately shades of left to right, dominance is hands, feet, eyes. This podcast suggested that ambidextrous is very very rare, that most people who think they are ambidextrous are actually dominant on one side (usually a leftie who has been forced to do everything rightie): https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07wpf5s

And purely anecdotally, generally more than 10 % lefties in my workplaces in environmental / earth science. Mostly from a maths / physics background. So not so much creative, more logical thought processes.

You must be so proud of yourself.

Eh? The OP’s telling me to be proud? Whatever, I sense factions forming. (Also, the musical instrument thing is interesting.)

Left for writing, throwing, chopping stuff, stirring stuff, whisking stuff.
Right for bowling (cricket), badminton, cricket batting, mouse, guitar, boxing stance, cutlery, holding saucepans.
I can never remember for 10 pin bowling, darts so I’m generally rubbish at both.

the only problem I had a school was dragging my left hand through the wet ink as I was writing with a fountain pen (which probably explains 70% of the interesting ways lefties hold a pen).

I learned to draw from right to left on the paper from the time I drew a beautiful charcoal picture and unknowingly rubbed it all out with my hand as I drew.

just don’t play guitar lefthanded

Try telling that to one James Hendrix, I seem to remember he was slightly good at it. (On a RH guitar no a custom jobbie).