REMEMBERING BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES AND DAYS AND MONTHS OF HISTORICAL DATES

This next system will be easy for you because it makes use of
systems you have already learned. It is also easier than most
other systems suggested for remembering such items, because
the two large memory systems you have learned—Skipnum
and the Major System—may be used together as 'keys' for the
months and days (other systems usually require code names
that have to be especially devised for the months).
The system works as follows: months are assigned the
appropriate key word from the Major System.
January — Tea
February — Noah
March — Ma
April — Ray
May — Law
June — Jaw
July — Key-
August — Poe
September — Pa
October — Toes
November — Tate
December — Tan
The days from 1 to 31 are assigned the appropriate word from
the Skipnum system.
To remember a birthday, anniversary or historical date, all
that is necessary is to form a linked image between the month-
and day-words and the date you wish to remember.
For example, your girl-friend's birthday falls on November
1st. The key word from the Major System for November is
'tate'; and the key word from Skipnum for 'one' is 'up'. You
imagine that your girl-friend is framed or hung up in the Tate
Gallery.
The anniversary you wish to remember is your parent's
Wedding Anniversary which falls on February 25th. The
Major System key word for February is 'Noah'; the Skipnum
key word for 25 is 'try'. Imagine Noah, who 'married' the
pairs of animals, trying to marry your parents at the same
time.
Historical dates are just as easy to remember. For example
the date when the United Nations came into formal existence
was October 24th. The Major System key word for October is
'toes', and the Skipnum key word for 24 is 'trot'. We imagine
the different shaped and coloured toes of representatives of the
world's nations hurrying (trotting) to meet because of the
urgency created by the end of the Second World War.
There is one small danger in this system, and this is epitom-
ised by those people who don't forget the date—they forget to
remember it! This can be overcome by making a habit of
checking through, on a regular basis, your memory links for
the coming one or two weeks.
The memory system outlined in this chapter can be effect-
ively linked with the previous system for remembering
historical dates by year. In this way you will have provided
yourself with a complete date-remembering system.