Nelson Mandela died on December 5, 2013. Or did he? Several thousands of people from around the world remember Nelson Mandela dying while he was in jail during the 1980's. So, if Mandela actually passed away in 2013, why do so many people remember him dying 30 years earlier, complete with detailed recollections of news stories and press releases? These questions are the basis for the Mandela Effect.
Author Fiona Broome coined the term for this phenomenon in 2010, when she and some of her colleagues realized that Nelson Mandela was still alive, though they were all certain he had died in the 80's. The Mandela Effect, according to its website, refers to "what happens when someone has a clear memory of something that never happened in this reality."
There are many theories surrounding the origin of the Mandela Effect. Psychologists explain this phenomenon as a false memory, which, according the Oxford online dictionary is "an apparent recollection of an event that did not actually occur." Researchers suggest that factors such as improper media coverage, word of mouth and mental associations with other people, facts and events play a role in the widespread nature of memories associated with the Mandela Effect.
Fiona Broome explains the phenomenon differently, in the terms of possible alternate realities (yes, this is where it gets weird). Her theory is that people constantly slip in and out of different parallel universes in which facts, events and even minor details can be changed. As a result, masses of people remember the facts differently than how they occurred in this particular reality.
Another theory about the Mandela Effect involves time travel. Followers of this explanation believe that time travel must become possible at some point in the future, which would mean that time travel has likely been occurring between that future point where it exists and the present since the beginning of time. If people from the future are time traveling, then the changes they make in history are likely to have lasting ripple effects. Thus, past facts have been changed, but some people still remember them as they once were, creating the Mandela effect.
I know that some of the conspiracies surrounding the Mandela Effect can seem a little crazy, but, regardless of which theory you choose to believe, I guarantee that at least one of the twenty nine following examples will blow your mind.
1. September 10th
Apparently, a lot of people remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001 as happening the day before, on September 10. This one hasn't affected me at all, but then again I was four-years-old when it happened.
2. The Berenstein Bears
This one messes me up. Since I started hearing about the Mandela Effect, I've made it a habit to go around asking other people if they remember the title of those children's books about a family of bears. Literally every single person I've asked (that actually knows what I'm talking about) has answered that they're called the "Berenstein Bears." Think again. They are, and apparently always have been, the Berenstain Bears. Nope. Absolutely not. I refuse.
3. Sex in the City
This popular series is actually entitled Sex and the City, despite fans from all over the globe remembering the title as "Sex in the City."
4. Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
Snow White was one of my absolute favorite movies as a kid, so this one made me question everything. The popularly quoted phrase "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall" is actually "Magic Mirror on the wall." I'm not kidding. Go back and watch the movie.
5. The island west of Australia
Apparently, many people remember an island existing to the west of Australia that no longer appears on any maps, past or present. The weirdest part of this particular Mandela Effect is that, in the 90's movie Dazed and Confused, the land mass in question is actually shown on a classroom globe at one point. Creepy.
6) Chartreuse
When you hear the name of this color, what comes to mind? A lot of people remember chartreuse as a reddish or pinkish color, when really it is a weird, puke green color.
7) febreeze
Although some swear that the air freshener is spelled "febreeze," it is actually "febreze."
8) Curious George's tail
Most people remember the cartoon monkey character with a tail, but, if you look back at any of the cartoons now, he is a tailless monkey.
9) Tiananmen Square tank man
Many people remember a grotesque Internet video of a tank running over a man in Tiananmen Square. Now, if you watch the video, you'll see that the man is not hit by the tank at all, but instead crawls on top of, and then in front of, the tank before being peacefully moved to the side.
10) Oscar Meyer Weiners
It's actually "Oscar Mayer," with an "a."
11) An all gold C3PO
Many remember C3PO from the original Star Wars movies as being completely gold, however the character does, and always has had, a silver lower right leg.
12) Life is like a box of chocolates
If you've seen Forrest Gump, you probably know the famous quote: "Life is like a box of chocolates." Wrong. The quote is actually, "Life was like a box of chocolates," which literally does not even make sense in the movie.
13) Sketchers
The company actually spells it "Skechers," without the "t," though several people remember otherwise.
14) 51 states
I don't totally understand this one, as it has always been made excessively clear to me that there are 50 states in the United States of America. However, I've heard that a huge example of the Mandela Effect is that a lot of people apparently think that there are 49, 51 or even 52 states in the nation.
15) Jiffy peanut butter
The product is actually called "Jif," and "Jiffy" has never existed.
16) If you build it, they will come
This popular quote from the movie Field of Dreams is actually "If you build it, he will come" not "they."
17) The lion will lie down with the lamb
Many Christians remember the Bible verse from Isaiah 11:6 reading "the lion will lie down with the lamb." However, it actually reads "the wolf shall dwell with the lamb." There are even several famous images of lambs with lions in existence, which were supposedly inspired by the verse, pairing the two together.
18) Fruit Loops
The product is now spelled "Froot Loops," but some swear that it was always spelled "Fruit Loops."
19) Hello, Clarice
Okay, I distinctly remember my dad repeating this line to try to scare me, so this one really freaks me out. In Silence of the Lambs, during the jail scene, Hannibal Lecter is supposed to greet Clarice with this line. Although plenty of people quote the movie by saying "Hello, Clarice," what Dr. Lecter actually says is a simple "Good morning." I kid you not. Go back and watch the movie if you don't believe me.
20) Daylight Savings Time
Apparently, it's "Daylight Saving Time," without the extra "s."
21) Mona Lisa
Although a lot of people remember the "Mona Lisa" as having a very serious, straight face, she has always had a smirk.
22) Interview with a Vampire
The popular movie starring Brad Pitt is actually called Interview with the Vampire.
23) Mongolia
Mongolia is way larger in size on the maps now than anyone ever remembers it being. This includes maps from the past as well.
24) Sandy Island, New Caledonia
This island off the coast of France is actually documented on many old maps, but the land itself seems to have simply disappeared, along with anyone claiming to be from there.
25) Dilemna
This is considered an incorrect spelling of the word. Try "dilemma." It just looks wrong, does it not?
26) We're going to need a bigger boat
If you rewatch the movie Jaws, what you will actually hear is "You're going to need a bigger boat," not "We're."
27) Ghandi
The correct spelling is "Gandhi," although many stand to disagree.
28) Luke, I am your father.
No. I refuse to believe this one. Instead of saying the iconic line: "Luke, I am your father," which the actor himself quoted in several interviews, Darth Vader actually tells Luke, "No, I am your father." The "no" doesn't even make sense in the context of the scene. Watch it; tell me I'm wrong. I dare you.
29) The man from Taured
This last one gives me the heebie jeebies. No, seriously. This is some Twilight Zone level stuff right here. So, in the 1950's, there was a man that landed in Tokyo International Airport claiming that he was from the nonexistent country of Taured. The freaky part was that he had all of the correct paperwork, passport, driver's license, the whole deal and it was all official paperwork from the country of Taured. The border police honestly had no idea what to do with this man from a country that didn't exist, so they had him stay in a hotel that night under police supervision. The man reportedly disappeared the next morning and the country of "Taured" has not been heard of since.
