It is often said that between 1% and 2%, or 70 to 140 million people around the world, have red hair. Because of the natural tanning reaction to the sun's ultraviolet light and high amounts of pheomelanin in the skin, freckles are a common but not universal feature of red-haired people. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. People without red hair have about 140,000 strands of hair, while people with red hair have only 90,000. MC1R also occurs in the brain, where it is one of a large set of POMC-related receptors that are apparently involved not only in responding to MSH, but also in responses to endorphins and possibly other POMC-derived hormones. A 14-year-old boy from Vancouver who ran the Facebook group was subjected to an investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for possible hate crimes. Mark Twain once said that while most humans are descended from apes, people with red hair come from cats. In Ireland, the percentage of population with red hair is very high relative to the rest of the world at around 10%, with 46% carrying the gene. About 6% of the Scottish population has red hair. In Poland, legend has it that if you see three redheads at once, you'll win the State Lottery. 55. Nobody really knows the exact [number]. 20. Research has found that it is most likely because of their hairs resemblance to bright flowers. Overall, Northern European countries have a greater proportion of redheads than anywhere else in the world. While the numbers and percentages don't quite put Great Britain in the realm of Ireland and Scotland, it remains one of the more highly populated countries regarding its number of redheads. The latest estimates suggest that about 10% of Ireland's population are redheads. Sunshine can both be good and bad for a person's health and the different alleles on MC1R represent these adaptations. Stay red! [22] In Medieval Italy and Spain, red hair was associated with the heretical nature of Jews and their rejection of Jesus, and thus Judas Iscariot was commonly depicted as red-haired in Italian and Spanish art. Listen to our podcast. According to Rees, the figure for the UK is about 10%. This type of inheritance is described as an autosomal recessive. According to Montague Summers, red hair and green eyes were thought to be the sign of a witch, a werewolf or a vampire during the Middle Ages: Those whose hair is red, of a certain peculiar shade, are unmistakably vampires. Because it holds its pigment tighter than any other hair colour, red strands need to have their pigment stripped before being dyed by bleaching which, of course, damages the hair. [13], In the late 18th century, ethnographers considered the Udmurt people of the Volga Region in Russia to be "the most red-headed men in the world". Alia from Berlin. Western Europe has more red haired people than any other part of the world. Even ginger ones" after customers complained the card was offensive. [3], Red hair is most commonly found at the northern and western fringes of Europe;[4] it is centred around populations in the British Isles and is particularly associated with the Celtic nations. [133][134] His son Neoptolemus also bears the name Pyrrhus, a possible reference to his own red hair. Blue eyes and red hair forms the rarest combo on earth. The USA has a National Redhead Day, celebrated on 5 November. From how much sex redheads have to how they produce their own Vitamin D. Names like Flannery, Reid and Russell can all trace their origin to red hair. 54. 67. The jury's still out", "Melanocortin-1 receptor gene variants affect pain and mu-opioid analgesia in mice and humans", "Anesthetic requirement is increased in redheads", "The melanocortin-1 receptor gene mediates female-specific mechanisms of analgesia in mice and humans", "The Effect of Hair Colour on Anaesthetic Requirements and Recovery Time after Surgery", "Women with Red Hair Report a Slightly Increased Rate of Bruising but Have Normal Coagulation Tests", Pathology Guy: Accumulations and Deposits, "A missense mutation disrupting a dibasic prohormone processing site in pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) increases susceptibility to early-onset obesity through a novel molecular mechanism", "Heterochromia of beard hair - A rare case report", "Painting with a portrait of a woman in profile", "Image Young Redhead in an Evening Dress", "One Ginger's Top Ten List of Red Headed Superheroes (and Villains) - Women Write About Comics", "In pictures: Connecting the world's redheads", Schoolboy bullied over ginger hair hanged himself, "Australian slang a story of Australian English", Geographical Names Board of New South Wales, "Facebook 'Kick a Ginger' campaign prompts attacks on redheads", "Tesco apologises over 'ginger jibe' card", "I too have ginger hair. National Redhead Day was created in 2015 by Stephanie and Adrienne Vendetti, two red-headed sisters who wanted to celebrate their beautiful hair. 16. People with ginger hair have a greater chance of being left-handed. Redheads naturally produce their own vitamin D, which is essential for good health and proper bone development. About 200 people took part in the UK's first Ginger Pride march in August, and the world record for the largest gathering of natural redheads was broken last month when 1,600 attended the Redhead Day Festival in the Dutch town of Breda. [126], A festival to celebrate the red-haired people is held annually in Izhevsk (Russia), the capital of Udmurtia, since 2004. Several studies show that redheads require about 20 percent more sedation than those with other hair colors. . She never anticipated that he would end up becoming Africas king. 16:12, 17:42. Early Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli's famous painting The Birth of Venus depicts the mythological goddess Venus as a redhead. Nothing to do with their mythical fiery temperament! It's called Redhead Day. 68. [59], Red hair is caused by a relatively rare recessive allele, the expression of which can skip generations. The Ancient Egyptian god of the desert, Set, was frequently depicted with red hair. In Scotland around 6% of the population has red hair, with the highest concentration of red head carriers in the world found in Edinburgh, making it the red head capital of the world. 11. . A: While this may seem an outlandish question, numerous scientific studies have found that people with red hair have different (and often more intense) sensitivity to pain compared to those with other hair colours. The International Journal of Cancer reported in 2010 that natural redheads are approximately two and a half times as likely to develop the dangerous cancer as people with other hair hues. The percentage typically ranges from approximately 2%-6%, and it apparently has the largest ginger population in the world. And, despite what you may have heard, it doesn't look like redheads will be extinct anytime soon. The Irish red-hair population beats that at about 10% of the people living there. 22. In their attempt to understand how pheomelanin, the pigment that makes hair red, affects gingers health, scientists have examined similarly auburn-tinted feathers and fur. Theophilus Presbyter describes how the blood of a red-haired young man is necessary to create gold from copper, in a mixture with the ashes of a basilisk.[87]. Many of the hair samples appear red in color, and one skull from the cemetery had a preserved red moustache. When you buy through the links on our site we may earn a commission. Redheads can be very creative: painter Vincent Van Gogh, classical music composer Vivaldi and writer Mark Twain were all redheads. A similar English study found that redhead gals had sex an average of three times a week, while our blonde and brunette counterparts have it twice a week. More than 5.55 billion people worldwide have received a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, equal to about 72.3 percent of the world population. Approximately 6% of the Scottish population has red hair while about 10% of the Irish population has red hair, making it the most red-haired country in the world. [79] In the Indian medicinal practice of Ayurveda, redheads are seen as most likely to have a Pitta temperament. The National Geographic article in fact states "while redheads may decline, the potential for red isn't going away". 28. There is little or no evidence to support the belief that people with red hair have a higher chance than people with other hair colors to hemorrhage or suffer other bleeding complications. 6. [citation needed], Sometimes, red hair darkens as people get older, becoming a more brownish color or losing some of its vividness. Q. Do you know this baby? The MC1R variant gene that gives people red hair generally results in skin that is difficult or impossible to tan. Please note: prices are correct and items are available at the time the article was published. Other painters notable for their redheads include the Pre-Raphaelites, Edmund Leighton, Modigliani,[83] and Gustav Klimt.[84]. [100]) Comedian Tim Minchin, himself a redhead, also covered the topic in his song "Prejudice".[101]. Because of their commonly fair skin and sensitivity to ultraviolet light, redheads are more likely to develop skin cancer. Scotland boasts the highest percentage of natural redheads, with 13% (40% might carry the gene there) while Ireland comes in second with 10%. [32] The ethnic Miao people of China are recorded with red hair. If you liked our suggestions for incredible facts about redheads, then why not take a look at Love facts, or Capricorn facts. Shame the fellas weren't questioned, too. Cosmopolitan participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. 60. Even today, people still think redheads have supernatural powers. 529548. Best of all, it shows all of this using a colour scale of autumnal auburns and reds. Some people believe rubbing a redhead's hair brings good luck. The first table lists countries by the percentage of their population with an income of less than $1.90 (the extreme poverty line), $3.20 and $5.50 US dollars a day in 2011 international (PPP) prices. So, in certain places in the world at least, there's a big advantage to being in this minority. Among the countries with the highest percentage of redheads, Great Britain has long been recognized as a place with its share of redheads. In the meantime, we thought we'd do some data collection of our own to find out where red heads are located and their vulnerability to gingerism (discrimination against people with red hair). Martin Dunitz, London, pp 333339, Rees JL (2002b) Skin cancer (including nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome). The sex lives of women with red hair were clearly more active than those with other hair colors, with more partners and having sex more often than the average, Hamburg sex researcher Professor Werner Habermehl told the Daily Mail, after leading a survey of 6,000 German women through the Hamburg Medical Research Institute in Germany. Red hair can originate from several changes on the MC1R-gene. If just 1% had red hair, for example, that would mean it had three million redheads. In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) state . The unexpected relationship of hair color to pain tolerance appears to exist because redheads have a mutation in a hormone receptor that can apparently respond to at least two types of hormones: the pigmentation-driving melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), and the pain-relieving endorphins. This country reportedly has up to 18 million redheads as of 2018. 1 in 10 Irish people has red hair, making them second in the world after Scotland for number of redheads per capita. [104] More recently, they have been referred to as "rangas" (a word derived from the red-haired ape, the orangutan), sometimes with derogatory connotations. The genetic variant causes MC1R to function differently on melanocytes, leading to less eumelanin and more pheomelanin. Riverdale actress Madelaine Petsch is a proud natural ginger, as is House of Cards alum Kate Mara. [99] The British comedy Bo' Selecta! We will now officially know which country has the highest percentage of redheads, thanks to the Redhead Map, a project from MC1R Magazine which aims to pinpoint every single redhead in the world. 9. How many redheads are there? "I am very sorry. A: Debra Messing, best known for her turn in Will and Grace, is naturally blonde but is one of the worlds best loved redheads. (If you have freckles, youre probably a carrier). We'd say that was catty, but it turns out Twain was a redhead himself. So where did Hitchins get the figure from? There are more redheads in northern and western Europe than in any other region on earth, where an average of up to six percent of people have red or ginger hair. The scientific explanation for this is that recessive traits usually come in pairs, and left handedness is also a recessive trait. Last show, let's make it wild x, See YOU tonight on @abcnetwork at 10/9c for a Sexy, powerful and fearless fashion show on your for @victoriassecret THE #victoriasecret FASHION SHOW BABY #vsfashionshow #redheadlove. [98] A possible fringe theory explaining the historical and modern mistreatment of red-heads supposedly stems from subjugation and consequent persecution of Celtic Nations. However, present bearers of the name are by no means all red-haired themselves. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), rarest hair and eye color combination in the world, hair tricks from around the world that you should be using, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. By contrast, less than 1 in every 100 people in southern Europe. [125] The organizers state; "The event is a good thing for many redheads, who had been embarrassed about being redheads before. Redheads are the obvious minority in the arena of common hair color, but in some parts of the world, they fit right in.