The man who can remember everything

[faceless]

The memory man who can remember everything
Bob Petrella, a television producer, can recall almost everything he's ever done since the age of five.
24 Mar 2009

The 58-year-old from Los Angeles, USA, remembers up to half the days of his own life in shockingly vivid detail. It was only when he put himself forward for a study about memory taking place at the University of California last year, that Bob's remarkable abilities became known to scientists.

He was diagnosed with a condition called hyperthymestia, meaning overdeveloped memory, sometimes dubbed as Super Autobiographical Memory, which has been discovered in just four people around the globe. Scientists are still baffled as to how and why it happens and no cases have yet been recorded in the UK. Mr Petrella recalls the day and date he first met a good friend, and all the conversations he's had on most days throughout the last 53 years. He first discovered his amazing talent at primary school, when he could pass every test easily without even revising.

Mr Petrella, said: "I always had this amazing memory but I never liked to advertise it or boast to strangers. People often assume I have something called Savant syndrome, where people have an special gift such as a good memory, or they think I'm just lying. But this memory thing is just something I couldn't explain. It's something I've always lived with, so I'm just used to it. I remember things best when they interest me, whether that's sporting events, or historical or political dates, or just good days I've had in the past. I can remember between a quarter and half of every month since I was five."

He added: "I remember everyone's telephone number. I lost my cell phone on September 24, 2006. A lot of people would panic if they lost their phone because they have all these numbers stored in there. But I didn't have any numbers in my cell phone because I have them stored in my head."

Mr Petrella remembers the details of all of his birthdays since the age of five, apart from two, along with every New Year's Eve for the last forty years. He can recall who won the main Oscar prizes every year since he began watching the ceremony in 1971. Mr Petrella can tell you the day and date O.J was acquitted and what the score was in the Steelers Vs Dallas football game on August 31 1997. "It was 37-7," he said without hesitation. "It was a Sunday."

The first person to emerge with Super Autobiographical Memory was Jill Price, also of Los Angeles, who wrote the book "The Woman Who Can't Forget." The Centre for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at the University of California launched a study of over 2,000 people trying to locate others with the condition and Mr Petrella was among three others discovered.

Doctors tested him with 60 questions that only those with super memory have a chance of answering. Among the questions were: "What was the date and the location of the Palestinian guerillas' killing of Israeli athletes?" to which Mr Petrella replied correctly: "Munich, September 5, 1972."

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how come he hasn't used his ability to win every quiz show on the planet?!

[nekokate]

Good point, Face. If I had that condition I'd keep quiet about it and rake in the dosh! Haha!

[eefanincan]

Not a man you'd want to be married to..... you could never win an argument

[faceless]

haha, good point eefan

'I think you'll find that on april 14th 1997 you said you didn't like expensive gifts'

[Twirley]

Wish I had him for my exam on Friday!

[SpursFan1902]

Interesting that 2 of the 4 people in the world that have this memory thing...I can't remember what it is called...... I obviously don't have it...are from L.A. I wonder if there is something in the water there. I wonder where the other two people are?

@Twirley...good luck on your exam!

[eefanincan]