| Individuals that possess eidetic memory, or | | | | suffered from physical trauma to the left of his |
| photographic memory, are able to recall with | | | | head when he was 10 years old, causing him to |
| precision a large amount of information, images or | | | | suffer from a prolonged headache. When the |
| sounds. Whilst many have claimed to possess this | | | | headache eventually dissipated, he noticed an |
| ability, it is found in less than 5% of children, most | | | | improved ability in performing calendrical |
| of whom will begin to lose the ability as they | | | | calculations. For example, he is able to tell you |
| mature or grow older. It is said that monks in the | | | | which day of the week you were born on given |
| Middle Ages enhanced their memories by creating | | | | your birth date. He is also able to correctly recall |
| images to store and use information. Many other | | | | the weather and every single movement he has |
| famous people are also purported to be in | | | | engaged in for any given day. Nikola Tesla was an |
| possession of this skill, including Mozart and Monet, | | | | inventor born in the Austrian Empire in 1856. He is |
| however this cannot be proven as he has since | | | | famous for his contributions to electricity and |
| passed away. There have been some individuals | | | | magnetism, and is referred to by some as a |
| who earned a place in the Guinness Book of | | | | "mad scientist". He has also been dubbed as the |
| Records for having atypical memory abilities, and | | | | man who invented the 20th century. Tesla was |
| people suffering from memory disabilities have | | | | able to memorize complete books, and read |
| been shown to have photographic memories for | | | | many works throughout his life. In his |
| example, being born with abnormalities or having a | | | | autobiography, he shared that he suffered from |
| freak accident to their head. Kim Peek (born in | | | | many illnesses, including hallucinations. His visions |
| 1951) suffers from congenital brain abnormalities, | | | | were often connected to ideas that he came |
| as he was born with macrocephaly, cerebellum | | | | across, and was able to involuntarily picture it in |
| damage and agenesis of the corpus callosum. Due | | | | great detail. This is similar to modern day |
| to the absence of nerves connecting the | | | | synesthetes. There have also been many fictional |
| hemispheres in his brain, it has been speculated | | | | characters found in books and comics portrayed |
| that the neurons make alternative connections, | | | | as having a photographic memory. This include |
| allowing for an enhanced memory capacity. Peek | | | | Jason Bourne (The Bourne Identity), Data and |
| has been known to memorize things since he was | | | | Kes (Star Trek), Malcolm (Malcolm in the Middle) |
| 16 months old, and is able to read a book in an | | | | and Superman. So much so is the craving to have |
| hour and recall 98% of what was in it. He is able | | | | what is considered one of the most important skill |
| to memorize information in various subjects | | | | of mankind, a powerful memory. |
| ranging from music to sports and history. He can | | | | Greg Frost is a leading innovator in the memory |
| also recall more than 10,000 books from memory. | | | | field, and he specializes in helping people improve |
| Orlando Serrell (born in 1968) is an acquired | | | | and develop their photographic memory. |
| savant, and was an ordinary kid at birth. He | | | | |