| I first realized I had extraordinary memory skills when I | | | | throughout each day about events which occured in |
| was five and a half years old. My uncle had given me | | | | my life. Five to ten times each day I would notice what |
| a calendar for the year 1966, and I memorized the | | | | was happening and make a note of which date it was |
| entire year when I was home from school with an | | | | occuring on. For example - Monday August 1 - We |
| illness. Feeling too ill to play with toys, I lay in bed staring | | | | went on our vacation to the shore. Friday September |
| at the calendar and felt fascinated by it. Soon I began | | | | 30 - We moved to a new house. I remembered |
| noticing patterns. If I knew the day of the week of | | | | events on every date and not just the ones when |
| every day for the first week of the month I could | | | | significant events happened. |
| calculate the remainder of the dates by adding sevens. | | | | As 1966 ended I realized my range of dates was |
| For example, if the first day of a month was a Sunday | | | | ending, so I began memorizing the new year. This was |
| you could calculate 1,8,15,22, and 29 to get the | | | | easy because I observed that each date advanced |
| subsequent Sundays in the month. I quickly found it | | | | by one day from the previous year. For example - My |
| easier to use rote memory and just repeat the | | | | birthday May 21 had been a Saturday then the next |
| sequences. I would say in my head several times two, | | | | year it would be a Sunday. Except in a leap year, after |
| nine, sixteen, twenty three, thirty, and do the same with | | | | March 1 it would move two days. May 21, 2003 was a |
| each sequence. So now I was able to tell the day of | | | | Wednesday, but May 21, 2004 was a Friday because |
| the week of any date as long as I knew the first | | | | there was a February 29 in between. |
| seven.. For example, if I wanted to know the twenty | | | | When I was 14 years old I wanted to be in a talent |
| first day of the month I would just know when the | | | | show in school. As with any amateur talent show they |
| seventh was because twenty one was in the same | | | | were mostly interested in people who sang or did |
| sequence. So if the seventh was a Saturday the | | | | magic. However, I thought it would be worth trying out |
| twenty first would be a Saturday. | | | | and displaying my memory skills. The vice principal took |
| I further expanded my skills by using more elaborative | | | | me out of the show the day before because he |
| rehearsal. Elaborative rehearsal is when you make an | | | | feared that the rowdier pupils might get nasty. Despite |
| association of new information to old information. I had | | | | this I was motivated to extend my range. I made notes |
| a favorite television program for every night of the | | | | of which years were arranged the same and made |
| week, what five year old does not. I began glancing at | | | | the comparisons. For example - 1974 was the same |
| the calendar squares with a quick glance at the month | | | | as 1963, 1985, 1991, 2002 etc. By the end of that week |
| first. Then I would repeat the date in my head a few | | | | I had extended my range of dates from 1752 to 2999. |
| times - then play the theme song for my program that | | | | As the years progressed, I noted on each day the |
| night. For example: Wednesday October 5 - Batman, | | | | date the weather, personal experiences, and news |
| Batman, Batman. Saturday December 3 - They call | | | | events. They say that the more you connect new |
| him Flipper, Flipper. The prime time television lineup was | | | | information to old information the more likely the new |
| as follows. Sunday - Disney, Monday - The Monkees, | | | | information will be retained. My range grew and is still |
| Tuesday - Combat, Wednesday and Thursday - | | | | growing each day. I now know the Philadelphia |
| Batman, Friday - The Green Hornet, Saturday - Flipper. | | | | weather every day for the past forty years, the |
| By making the association of the television show, it's | | | | calendar from 1752 to 2999. The Asian animal for |
| theme, and the calendar date, I was able to memorize | | | | each year for two centuries. facts about the Beatles, |
| the entire year in two days. One question you might | | | | Marx Brothers, History of Space Flight, celebrity |
| have is how I may have confused some Wednesdays | | | | birthdays, and assorted other information. Besides |
| and Thursdays because Batman was on both days. I | | | | making associations, I tend to hold thoughts for a few |
| circumvented this by picturing Batman on | | | | seconds longer than most people seem to. So I give a |
| Wednesday's and Robin on Thursday's. Therefore I | | | | fact more time to go from short term to long term |
| used both visual and auditory cues to make the | | | | memory. It is rare when I actually sit down and |
| associations. | | | | memorize anything deliberately, I just think about things |
| Now that I had memorized an entire year in two days. | | | | as I perform my daily routines, and it stays in my |
| I recovered from my illness and resumed my life as a | | | | memory. |
| child and a scholar. I began making mental notes | | | | |
