Scene Gallery

Favourite mnemonic scenes

The Major System turns a year into consonant sounds, then into a word. TimeToTime can turn those into pictures. A vivid, slightly absurd scene is far easier to recall than four digits. These are some of our favourites — each one shows the date, the generated graphic, and the scene description behind it.

New to this? The Mnemonic Major System documentation explains the number-to-sound mapping, the 00–99 spine, and how to build a scene of your own.

1321
Dante Alighieri [Death]
A massive laurel wreath, falling from a dying Dante, flattens the hexagonal metal nut, near a distant plague mask.
Year 21
nut
2
N
1
T / D
Centuryplague mask
1349
William of Ockham [Death]
William of Ockham's massive razor cleanly splits the coiled rope, near a plague mask.
Year 49
rope
4
R
9
P / B
Centuryplague mask
1526
Beretta [Founded]
An arquebus barrel shoots many holes into the nacho (a single tortilla chip with melted cheese and jalapeno) into fragments, near a galleon hull.
Year 26
nacho
2
N
6
SH / J / soft CH
Centurygalleon hull
1603
Union of the Crowns [Created]
Two golden crowns *compress* the sumo (Sumo wrestler) onto a glowing astrolabe.
Year 03
sumo
0
S / Z
3
M
Centuryastrolabe
1721
Bach completes the Brandenburg Concertos
Driven by the rhythmic chugging of a steam engine, J.S. Bach frantically weaves his flying musical notes into a tight, golden NET using a giant quill, trapping the melody forever.
Year 21
Net
2
N
1
T / D
CenturySteam engine
1758
Linnaeus‘ Systema Naturae [Published]
Linnaeus *smashes* his enormous Systema Naturae book onto a central single leaf, flattening it, a distant Beam Steam Engine.
Year 58
leaf
5
L
8
F / V
CenturyBeam Steam Engine
1767
Creation of New Town, Edinburgh [Started]
A giant neo-classical column bursts from a wooden shack, shattering its walls, near a distant Beam Steam Engine.
Year 67
shack
6
SH / J / soft CH
7
K / G (hard)
CenturyBeam Steam Engine
1889
Nintendo [Founded]
Mario welds a giant hanafuda card onto a cracked fob (electronic car key fob) beneath a distant electric light bulb.
Year 89
fob
8
F / V
9
P / B
Centuryelectric light bulb