Did you know that (according to Wikipedia) the major system is over 300 years old and was introduced by Stanislaus Mink von Wennsshein and later developed by many others with many variations.

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In 1730 Dr. Richard Grey,
set forth a complicated system that used both consonants and vowels to
represents the digits. In 1808 Gregor von Feinaigle introduced the
improvement of representing the digits by consonant sounds, but
reversed the values of 8 and 9 from that given above. The particular
implementation given here is that used by Harry Lorayne, a contemporary author on memory.

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According to the wiki article on the method of loci,
which is easily combined with the major system, that method was
routinely taught to schoolchildren for centuries, at least until 1584,
when a huge controversy over the method broke out in England as the
Puritans attacked it as impious because it calls up absurd and obscene
thoughts.

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The same objection can be made over the major system, with or
without the method of loci. Mental images are generally easier to
remember if they are insulting, violent, or obscene (see Von Restorff effect).