Never Eat Shredded Wheat Weird Ways to Remember Things

The mnemonics that many of us learned as children are simply a shortcut to help locate information within your memory. For instance, rather than remember that the clockwise order of the points of the compass is North, East, South, West, we remember the mnemonic "Never Eat Shredded Wheat," and the combination of humor and a visual reference provides an instant cue for our brains. This collection of mnemonics includes well-known examples, some of which have been in use for centuries, as well as more recent ones and alternatives to the traditional versions. In addition, there are sections on working out your own methods and systems to augment the existing mnemonics with your own aides-mémoire.

James M. Russell is the author of A Brief Guide to Philosophical Classics.