A Suffolk man who could not remember his four-digit bank code number took up the challenge of memorising Einstein’s Equation on Relativity.

East Anglian Daily Times:

Instead of just four figures, Dean Gould was faced with recalling almost 1,000 symbols, letters and numbers from memory – with the added challenge of doing it as quickly as possible to set a world record.

The challenge included Albert Einstein’s added workings on his theory of the behaviour of space and time.

He performed the amazing feat of memory at Brackenbury Sports Centre, High Road East, Felixstowe, in just 65 minutes watched by adjudicators, husband and wife Tony and Ann Lazell.

Mr Gould, 51, of Church Lane, Felixstowe, said: “I thought I could remember my bank number easily enough – I thought that’s just four numbers. I am sure lots of people have had the same problem.

“So I wanted to prove I could do better by taking up an almost impossible challenge which has never been done before.

“It went well and I recalled all the numbers and symbols correctly in the right order.”

It was not the first memory feat Mr Gould – who runs the Record Holders Republic web site – has achieved.

He previously recited pi from memory to 3,000 decimal places which earned him an 11th place ranking in the world in 1999, and also recited pi to 1,000 in 8 minutes 14 secs in 1998 for a world record which still stands today.

He has held more than 20 world records and in 1985 devised the shortest game of draughts.

Mr Gould said: “This latest record could well be my last. I think the golden age of record-breaking ended a few years ago and is not part of today’s culture in the UK.

“The launch of so many websites mean that records are not collected in one place – like they were in the annual Guinness Book – with each country having its own records and many having different criteria.”