Most of us have a special respect for people with super-memories. Ancient Chinese scholars were often ranked and esteemed according to the number of ideographs they memorized. Talmudic scholars were respected for memorizing extensive passages of religious works.

A huge amount of information is stored in our memory. It is sometimes difficult to retrieve the precise information that we want at a particular time. Unless you use certain information frequently you may need a little help.

One reason mnemonic systems work is that they provide the appropriate ‘ cues’ to stimulate proper recall. We’ve all experienced the phenomenon of not being able to say that which is right “on the tip of the tongue.Then after a few seconds someone says something that triggers your recall….

Memory and Super-Memory – Essays of an Information Scientist (PDF)