The old saying “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” is a great example of how rhyming can help commit information to your long-term memory. [1] X Research source

For example, “Gill Underestimated Cliff’s Strength” is a mnemonic for remembering who the main Allied powers were during World War II: Great Britain, the United States, China and the Soviet Union. [3] X Research source

Similarly, studying while listening to calm music can help you recall the material again later. [5] X Research source

For example, if trying to learn facts about the Boston Tea Party, you might picture a Red Sox mug filled with hot tea.

An ancient memorization technique, the loci method has you construct a “memory palace” using a building you know well (like your home). [8] X Research source If trying to remember a chain of historical events, you might associate the first event with the front door to your home, the second with the entryway, the third with your living room, etc.

If you are studying American history in the 1930s, for example, you might have a list that includes key terms like “the Dust Bowl” “the Great Depression” “Franklin D. Roosevelt,” and “the New Deal,” among others. Write your list by hand. Studies show that memorization works best when you write things out by hand vs. on the computer. [9] X Research source

For example, December 7, 1941 is the date that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. Its significance is that this event pushed the United States to enter the war. [10] X Research source

Use red ink on a white background, as this has been shown to help with memorization. [11] X Research source Index cards are great for making flashcards. It can be useful to cross-list key terms in your definitions so that you can remember how certain people, places, events or dates are related to one another.

Continue going through the cards in the days and hours before you have a test or a paper due. This way you are more likely to commit the information to your long-term memory.

Wars, political upheavals, and scientific or medical discoveries particularly lend themselves to timelines because the timeframe in which specific events happen are often face-paced, factually dense and build sequentially off of one another.

Leave yourself plenty of space to fill in all the information you need.

Use color-coding and highlighting to make the timeline visually memorable. This can also help you to quickly identify important names, themes or other key terms that appear in your timeline more than once.

Your timeline can be one long sheet or you can keep it in a notebook. If you do have a multi-page timeline, make sure to number your pages so you can easily keep them in order.

Once you can recreate everything from scratch, you will know that you have your history information memorized.

Just going through your notes with someone else can be a great way to review the material and to clear up any confusion or questions you may have.

Take turns providing definitions and share your thoughts on the historical significance of each term. For best results, each person should maintain their own copy of the study guide. Fill it in with notes from your conversation as you go down your list.

If someone gives an incorrect answer then discuss what the correct answer should be. Provide positive encouragement and support to one another.

Even if you have already done the reading assignment, it can help to review your notes on it right before class so that it is fresh in your mind. Come prepared with questions based on your review. If the lecture does not answer these for you, make sure you follow up with your instructor to get clarification.

If you find that you are missing something, don’t get hung up on every little detail. Move on and note where you need to go back to fill in the additional information later. Write legibly in pencil or with blue and black ink. Record lectures to return to later if this is an option.

Once you’ve identified the main argument and have a sense of what the smaller, supporting points will be, you can go through each paragraph to circle key names, dates, places, etc. Summarize the main point of each supporting paragraph in a few words and link these summaries to the overall point of the text.