When I was a kid, my mom gave me a book by NBA All-Star Jerry Lucas, who was something of a memory savant. He could walk into a room to give a speech and in less than a couple of minutes repeat the names of 50 people in the audience. I recall learning the U.S. capital cities by creating picture connections… such as ‘Della dove in her swimwear’ for Dover, Delaware.
A couple years ago, I read ‘Moonwalking With Einstein,’ by a journalist who used ‘memory palaces’ to win an international competition. Picture every room in the house you grew up in. When you need to remember a list, place the items in a room. For instance: front door: apples; entry hall: bread; living room: milk; kitchen: laundry detergent. I use this one often… and have several ‘palaces’ such as buildings on my college campus and offices at my first job.
When it comes to retaining number sequences, such as ridiculously long codes our bank texts me for two-factor authentication, I use NFL players numbers. So… Brett Favre is 4; John Elway, 7; Roger Staubach, 12; Johnny Unitas, 19, etc.
Which brings us today: Russell Wilson, Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Justin Tucker, Rod Woodson, Bob Breunig, Jack Lambert, Bryant Young, John Randle, Devin Hester, Troy Aikman, Todd Christensen
Otherwise known as the first 20 digits of pi.
Note: Jerry Lucas was Phi Beta Kappa at Ohio State. He’s a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame and one of the ’50 Greatest Players in NBA History’ (1996). ‘Doctor Memory’ turns 82 in two weeks and has authored more than 70 books.
