History of spaced repetition
Intro
There is a great deal of mythology surrounding the origins of spaced repetition. This article should trace the roots of key ideas behind the concept.
Printable version
- True history of spaced repetition (final version, supermemo.com)
- True history of spaced repetition (wiki transclusion, live updates, supermemo.guru)
Chapters
Chapters that are missing in the printable version are marked with '*' below.
- 1885-1985: Why spaced repetition research kept failing?
- 1885-2018: History of the optimization of repetition spacing
- 1985: The birthday of spaced repetition: July 31, 1985
- 1986: First steps of SuperMemo
- 1987: SuperMemo 1.0
- 1988: Two components of memory
- 1989: First adaptable spaced repetition algorithm: Algorithm SM-4
- 1989: First fast-converging spaced repetition algorithm: Algorithm SM-5
- 1990: Search for a universal memory formula
- 1991: Employing forgetting curves
- 1994: Exponential nature of forgetting
- 1994-1995: SuperMemo Knowledge Machine *
- 1995: First data-driven spaced repetition algorithm: Algorithm SM-8
- 1997: Employing neural networks
- 1999: Choosing the name "spaced repetition"
- 1994-1999: Inevitability of incremental reading *
- 2000: Incremental reading *
- 2005: SuperMemo Algorithm: 30-year-long labor
- 2013: Algorithm SM-15 *
- 2014-2016: Algorithm SM-17 *
- 2018: Recapitulation of history in SuperMemo Algorithm SM-17
- 2018: History of SuperMemo algorithm *
- 2018: Exponential growth in the adoption of spaced repetition
Color codes
Excerpts: mark the most remarkable or influential words taken from other authors. At times, putting things in my own words would not do justice to the original
Motto: some witty idea or quote from a wise man, usually from ages ago. A quote that sets the theme for a chapter. Those witticisms often help us realize that we are re-learning history over and over again. The ancients knew things many people fail to see today
Your Help
If you see errors, distortions, inaccuracies or would like to contribute to this article, write to me