Memorizing dates and events separately is a tricky task. It is much more convenient to use special techniques for this. For example, you can choose a main date, use linguistic techniques, look for parallels and associations.
Memorizing historical dates by itself is difficult and even wrong. The moment will inevitably come when the abundance of events and dates will overwhelm your memory, and you will begin to get confused in them. Fortunately, there are several techniques to avoid this.
Selecting the main date
If you need to remember the dates of a small historical period, it is better to choose a certain main date for yourself and link the rest of the events to it. For example, you need to memorize several dates that fit into a time span of several decades. First, you choose the main date for yourself, which will be a kind of starting point. You remember the rest of the dates according to the principle "this event happened in so many years" or "this event happened so many years before the main date." For example, the period of reforms of Alexander II. The year 1861 can be chosen as the main event to remember. Six years before that, the emperor ascended the throne, three years before he launched judicial and zemstvo reforms, etc.
This memorization method is quite convenient, but requires working with the entire topic. You must understand the essence of the main events, their interconnection.
Finding Parallels
The dates of many historical events are similar. For example, the Grengam battle, like the Gangut battle, took place on July 27, only in different years. The Battle of Poltava also took place on the 27th, only in June. Soviet territory was occupied by German invaders from 1941 to 1944, and the war between Byzantium and Russia took place from 941 to 944. By looking for such "similar" dates and events, you can greatly facilitate your memorization.
Linguistics
Foreign language learners often use the following memorization method. First, they write a new word on a piece of paper, periodically review their notes and try to use this word as often as possible in their speech. If the method works with foreign words, why not use it to memorize dates? Write down dates and events in a notebook and review your notes in your spare time. It is enough to repeat the dates once a day so that they are firmly fixed in memory.
The disadvantage of this technique is the isolation of dates from their context. You will remember years and events, but you will not be able to connect them with each other.
Associations
Another effective method for remembering dates is to use associations. You can associate dates with phone numbers, license plates, house numbers, common numerical stereotypes (lunchtime, “7:40” song, verse numbers, and so on).
