The man who remembers every moment of his life

American Bob Petrella has been diagnosed with hyperthymestia, which means overdeveloped memory

The man who remembers every moment of his life

American Bob Petrella has been diagnosed with hyperthymestia, which means overdeveloped memory

baffling: Only four people in
the world have been diagnosed with the condition that Bob Petrella has

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.

Conversations too

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.

"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," said Petrella. And when he lost his mobile phone, it wasn't difficult to make a new contact book he remembered every number that was stored in the phone.

Petrella remembers the details of all his birthdays since the age of five, apart from two, along with every New Year's Eve for the last 40 years. Doctors tested him with 60 questions that only those with super memory have a chance of answering.

Did you know?
The first person to emerge with Super Autobio-graphical Memory was Jill Price (pictured), also of Los Angeles, who wrote the book The Woman Who Can't Forget.

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