Stay, Capricious Memory...

I am always intrigued as to how our memories get directed and misdirected constantly, often with little volitional control. Despite having heard that the Treaty of Nystadt ended the Great Northern War, which lasted from 1700-1721, multiple times in an environment favorable towards the reception and retention of such information, I have as yet not been able to absorb or recall this fact when it matters (such that it ever matters).
However, years ago while driving past the 300 block of Thurston Ave. in lovely Ithaca, NY -I saw this bumper sticker on the back of a car briefly before it made a left turn. Yet, this sticker and that morning I remember rather clearly, it was mid-morning it was late fall or early winter and it was sunny, which is rare itself in Ithaca at that time of the year. Why is this so? Often when I drive I am usually not fully aware or "plugged in" to my surroundings, especially if it is a route that I have taken many times, in such a case I am usually under automatic pilot. Yet, despite this brief encounter with this car sticker in what can be called an unreceptive state, this statement has been burned into my memory. I remember getting the joke almost instantly, if you are having trouble figuring out the allusion, it is a reference to blue shift as predicted by the Doppler Effect. Nevertheless, it is amusing and yet incredibly frustrating that at times it seems that I have little willful control over what and how my mind works. My participation in certain intra/extramural events is the motivating force behind my obsessing over the process of memory, and I am always impressed by those whose vast powers recollection far exceeds mine. I am left perplexed at their ability, and inquire to the sources of their power. Is it just a matter of being religiously disciplined when it comes to preparation for an event? Or do they continually and in an omnipresent fashion walk around with this gargantuan knowledge base ready to "whip it out" so to speak on call? Those who are familiar and a bit cynical of this insular world of mine will definitely understand the phallocentric undertones (actually forget undertones, full on tones...it is painfully obvious to observe, and even more pathetic that I willingly and eagerly submit to this behavior) that permeate this subculture. From this side of epistemological gap it seems that their minds are virtual pulsating floods of information. Unfortunately, my memory does not speak to me in waves, but startles me with bursts which too often leaves me unprepared to cope strategically. It is my hope that one day I will be able to genuinely master the art of memorization, so that I may be able to file away information efficiently, and copiously such that it is available for immediate recall. There must be research out there that studies and attempts to account for these random acts of memory...but from this under-informed perspective it seems positively impenetrable. But I continue to struggle: Nystadt, Great Northern War, Nystadt Great Northern War....this works right?