Now that 10% of the world’s population is supposed to be left-handed this has led to prejudice against that minority, as I pointed out in an earlier column.

In the past their most extreme and superstitious critics said they were the devil’s spawn. Others contented themselves with mild insults.

Those who were clumsy were said to have two left feet. A left-handed compliment was an insult. A left-handed marriage was an adulteress affair.

Southpaws still have to overcome basic problems in life when using many everyday implements from pens to tin openers, that are made for right handed people.

But in the 18th century, one left-handed chap got his own back.

Napoleon Bonaparte imposed a practice that is still followed in most of the world today. He decided France should drive on the right side of the road.

Subsequently all French colonies and countries under their influence followed suit.

In the ancient empires of Egypt, Greece and Rome, pedestrian and horse traffic kept to the left, a habit that was maintained down the centuries.

Most men were right-handed and, if approaching other travellers of a dubious nature, they wanted to be able to draw their swords easily and have them ready in their right hand able to defend themselves. Another theory suggests that travelling on the left also helped the drivers of stagecoaches who held their long whips in their right hand, held clear of the coach.

But it all changed when Napoleon decided to be contrary, some say because of his own left-handedness. All French colonies and countries under their influence followed the example of France.

So did America after independence and when that country started producing motor cars in ever increasing numbers, all left-hand drive vehicles, both for domestic use and export, it meant even more nations chose the righthand way.

About a quarter of the world drives on the left today.

These are mainly former British colonies, plus Japan.

The last European country to convert to driving on the right was Sweden in 1967.

Amazingly, the predicted chaos didn’t happen during the change over period.

Everyone took so much care getting used to the new system that there was a reduction on road accidents.