The Ebbinghaus forgetting curve is a graphical representation that illustrates how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. Developed by the psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus in the late 19th century, the curve shows that memory retention declines rapidly shortly after learning, with the most significant loss occurring within the first few days. Ebbinghaus's research involved memorizing lists of nonsense syllables and measuring how much he could recall after various intervals. His findings highlight the importance of repetition and review in improving long-term memory retention, suggesting that regular practice can help combat forgetting.