Guess How Far Back Some People Can Remember?
Can you remember being 9 months old?
I can’t.
But some people can.
A light bulb moment from collecting first memories
The earliest first memories, of the 1000+ I've collected, are from people that say they can remember back to being 9 months old.
Let's agree that's amazing. And it seems unbelievable.
But if I phrase it a different way, it seems less outlandish. Place these activities in order from earliest to latest:
Taking your first step
Speaking your first word
Remembering your first memory
I mean, they all happen in early childhood development, right?
Disbeliever —> Believer
Want another bit of information that converted me to a believer that some people can remember back to being 9 months old?
I saw a trend in the first memories I’ve collected.
A good one, too.
People who could remember back to 9 months old all had something in common.
They had the same profession.
Any guesses?
I’ll share one of their first memories as you think about it.
I was in the hospital with pneumonia.
My cot was green.
It was Christmas time.
My parents stood outside the room, looking through the panes of glass at me.
There were 3 heads looking into my room: mom, dad, and a paper cut out of Father Christmas.
The Answer
People who could remember back to 9 months old were … drivers of the famous Black Cabs in London.
Each of them has taken and passed a test called the Knowledge. This test requires that they memorize all the city streets of London such that their passengers can simply give an address and trust that they will arrive at their desired destination. (Note: the backdrop here is an era before mobile phones and before GPS maps and driving directions.)
Each of these Black Cab drivers recalled their first memory being from when they were about 9 months old.
Does it seem unbelievable, yes?
But things can be unbelievable and also true.
I'm not sure I actually believed that people could remember back to being 9 months old before I met a group of people who all had the same profession and said their first memory was from when they were 9 months old.
Fascinating stuff.
Fascinating!! I wonder if you specifically looked for other people who might have demonstrably great memories and asked them ... whether the trend would continue? People like waitstaff at super high end restaurants, actors maybe?? Also I wonder what you would find if you reached out to one of those people who remembers "everything"? Looks like Joey Degradis is one about our age.
Whoa that is really interesting! So how does it work? Do people with great memories tend to become cab drivers more than others? Or do cab drivers develop advanced memory techniques during their training, and can then apply it retroactively?