What's Your Earliest Memory?

spazoid12 writes "I've been curious lately about memory. For example, why is it that my earliest memory is from about 7 years of age? (I'm mid-30's now) Most people I know remember much further back. How far back can a person remember? Is there a theoretical limit? What are the requirements for acquiring memories? I've read that oxygen is one; as in actual breathed-in stuff. This is supposed to explain why you can't remember anything from within the womb. That seems silly to me. My own theory (with nothing to back it up) is that language is required. We spoke mostly Brasilian Portuguese and some Russian in the home up until I was about 5 or 6. We moved to Brasil for a year when I was 8 and I barely remember anything from that trip. I really don't know either language today-- could this explain why I have no memories of those years? What if I re-learned those languages now, 30 years later? Would memories flood back?"

Let's Take a Look at Everything2

[CBNobi]

I don't remember what life was like when I was seven. I like the taste of air. What should I do? [everything2.com]


Yep, kinda fits the profile.

Earliest Memory

[Jenova]

I remembered starting to really like coffee at the age of six and started drinking it regularly. Talk about early addiction.

Re:I remember my birth.

[BurKaZoiD]

I think that's you coming down off X or LSD or something.

Some Slashdot editors can't remember

[YellowSnow]

what was posted yesterday!
SING!!
Dupe Dupe Dupe Dupe of URL Dupe Dupe Dupe of URL

I remember my circumcision...

[BigBlockMopar]

...but I was 22 at the time! Ha!

Oh, the requirements of dating an Orthodox Jew. The relationship didn't work out, but I have no regrets. I feel so free and unencumbered, it's great.

Re:18 months

[enos]

I drowned when I was 18 months old and while I dont have a step-by-step memory of it, I remember what it looked like and felt like quite clearly.

So how does zombieism work for you?

Earliest memory?

[DeadMoose]

Well, I recently cleaned up and threw most of my old hardware away, so the earliest I have is the stuff in my old 486.

Falling Down The Stairs

[spoonboy42]

My earliest memory was from when I was one year old. My father was carrying me down the stairs, and tripped. He managed to cradle and protect me, although he sustained a broken tailbone in the fall. I distinctly remember the arrival of the paramedics, the color of the room (brown), even the fact that the stretcher had 3 straps.

Incidentally, my second memory is of my father's return from the hospital, whereupon he immediately went to our kitchen and got some pretzels. I have no other memories of that house (we moved out less than a month later, though).

Anyway, I'm not a medical sort, but on the oxygen issue: I suffucated during my mother's labor due to complications in the birth, and was dead for a couple of minutes before I was ressuscitated. I have no idea whether that had any affect on my brain development, but I don't have cerebral paulsy (the most likely outcome of those circumstances), so who knows?

Incidentally, my sister acquired language at a much younger age than I did (she was forming complete, gramatically correct sentences at the age of 2), and yet her earliest memory is of preschool at age 4.

My earliest memory?

[Oliver Defacszio]

256k

Re:I remember my circumcision...

[Anonymous Coward]

She let you "pork" (improper term, I know) her afterwards, correct?

Yeah

[TheOnlyCoolTim]

I had a false memory like that too. When I was about one or two years old I took a plane trip. Until I was fifteen or sixteen that was the only time I was on a plane.

When I was still young (single-digits) my parents told me about the trip. Then I was convinced that I could remember the plane trip. But then, after a few years, I saw a picture or TV shot of the inside of a plane and realized my memories were nothing like the reality, and I had constructed them after hearing that I was on a plane at that age.

My parents tell me that after a while on the plane I started saying "I want to get off this bus!"

Tim

Re:Relevant Stories

[inbox]

I remember when people, instead of bothering the rest of us with their moaning, just used their preferences to turn off the sections they didn't want to read about.

Re:Relevant Stories

[rainer3]

Dream analysis is sci-fi [scifi.com]. Didn't you get that memo?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

We didn't want you to find out this way......

[simetra]

Son, I accidentally dropped you on your head when you were seven. That's why you can't remember anything prior. Sorry about that. If it's any consolation, you didn't have a very interesting childhood.

Love, Dad.

Re:I remember my circumcision...

[DeadBugs]

Reminds me of a joke:

Two Kids are in a hospital together

The one kid says to the other "What are you in for"

The other kid replies "Getting my Tonsils out"

The one kid says "Oh that's nothing I had that done when I was 5 and you only get a sore throat and they give you lots of ice cream"

The other kid replies "Wow that does not seem so bad, what are you in for"

The one kid replies "A Circucision"

The ohter kid then says "Oh, I had that when I was born... I could'nt walk for a year"

Re:Brazillian and Russian roots...?

[caluml]

Nope, fraid not ;)
Denmark + US != kernel-coder.

Can't explain the formula I use to work it out, as it's my IP, and I don't really understand it myself.

You'll have to learn the words to the Soviet Anthem, and move to South America.

Re:I remember my circumcision...

[socalmtb]

I know most /.ers are desperate for sex, but this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Interesting

[tswinzig]

Incidentally, my sister acquired language at a much younger age than I did (she was forming complete, gramatically correct sentences at the age of 2)

Is she available for tutoring [of /. editors]?

Sometimes it's too easy.

Re:I can remember my birth

[Alsee]

I know this sounds totally crazy, but I have vivid memories of being born

Bah, that's nothing! I remember going to a company picnic with my father and coming home with my mother! I got you beat by 9 months!

-

IN SOVIET RUSSIA

[Anonymous Coward]

The government has your memories!

Earliest Memory

[jamej]

4 megs of RAM on my first computer a 486DX/33, fall of 1990. Still have some of the documentation so I know it's not a false memory. Hope this helps.

Re:BBC Micro

[Anonymous Coward]

My earliest memory is writing a FOR NEXT loop in BBC BASIC to move my name across the screen, using a CLEAR after each itteration. I'd have been about four or five at the time.

This later became Windows.