The Mandela Effect, an internet conspiracy theory, has started gaining quite the audience and for good reason. It all started when Fiona Broome, a paranormal enthusiast, discovered that she was not the only one who believed that Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s. That is indeed false and he did not die until Dec. 5, 2013. How is it that many people were led to believe the lies of Mandela’s death and even claim to have seen funeral footage? The internet has come up with a not-so-surprising answer: a quantum ripple created by CERN’s Large Hadron Collider that caused there to be alternate realities. Now, this is a bit of a stretch, but has some truth in it. There are many instances were people go their entire lives thinking something that is not actually true. Below are some examples that may leave you stumped.

1. “The Berenstein Bears” or “The Berenstain Bears”?

Can you remember accurately the name of the show about a family of bears? People would swear that it was spelled with an e, but now is spelled with an a. This Mandela effect is quite popular amongst its debaters and has caused quite the controversy online.

2. Is it Chic-Fil-A? Perhaps Chik-Fil-A?

As a matter of fact, neither of those are correct. Chick-Fil-A, though known for its misspelling of words because cows cannot spell, manages to spell the name of the restaurant correctly. The company has sworn it has always been spelled that way, but there are people who will tell you differently.

3. “Mirror, mirror on the wall.”

This famous line from the Disney movie “Snow White” has actually been misquoted. The queen never even says that line at all. She says, “Magic mirror on the wall.” To continue the issue, she does not even say “Who is the fairest of them all?” She says, “Who is the fairest one of all?”

4. How many states are there?

In other countries, many people firmly believe that there are 51 or 52 states. Some take Puerto Rico and the district of Columbia to be states, which is not the case. One is territory while the other is a district, as it implies.

5. Jif, Jiffy? Only mom really knows.

This peanut butter that many people will claim to be called Jiffy is actually not Jiffy at all. It is just Jif. Those who claim it to be called Jiffy recall a commercial that told mothers they could make snacks “in a jiffy.” Even though that is a good marketing strategy, it actually never existed.

Has this messed with your mind yet? I know I had to stop and ponder through these for a minute. It is mind boggling how one could firmly believe something that turns out to not be true at all. The mind works in mysterious ways and the internet is going to prove it. For more information on the Mandela Effect, check out these links below.

http://mandelaeffect.com/major-memories/