Is it Sex and the City or Sex in the City?
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You know that creepy phenomenon where some people remember historic events differently than others?
Yep, this weird event is called the Mandela Effect.
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Where does the Mandela effect come fromand why do these strange perceptions of history keep happening?
We have the answers to all your questions, plus famous examples of the Mandela effect, down below.
However, Nelson Mandela did not die in the 1980s in a prisonhe passed away in 2013.
Henry VIII, sans turkey leg.Wikimedia Commons
As Broome began to talk to other people about her memories, she learned that she was not alone.
Others remembered seeing news coverage of his death as well as a speech by his widow.
There have, however, been similar cartoons created.
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This may be related to the common knowledge of Henry VIII as a large man.
Oscar Meyer or Oscar Mayer?
Location of New Zealand
Google Maps
Where is New Zealand in relation to Australia?
If you look at a map, you will see that it is southeast of the country.
However, there is a community of people who claim to remember New Zealand being northeast instead of southeast.
Shazaam, Starring Sinbad?
Walter Bibikow/The Image Bank/Getty Images
In reality, the character has always had a solid yellow tail.
People often report the character wearing suspenders when he does not.
The original Mickey is wearing shorts, but is completely unclothed on the top half of his bodyhow scandalous.
Google Maps
It is and has always been Jif, though many people would swear to the contrary.
Curious George’s Tail
This one is, well, curious.
The assumption is that Curious George is a monkey, and most monkeys are understood to have tails.
We hope this hasn’t caused George any kind of existential crisis.
What the Heck Is a Froot Loop?
Just ask the company itselfthere is no cornucopia, even if we all remember it.
Adam Bettcher/Getty Images Entertainment
C-3PO’s Leg Is What?
Ingrid Bergman’s character does, however, say “Play it once, Sam.”
It’s a Beautiful Day…Where?
nicescene/iStock/Getty Images Plus
In reality, however, the song opens with the line “It’s a beautiful day inthisneighborhood.”
Monopoly’s Monocle
Hasbro
Rich Uncle Pennybags aka Mr.
Monopoly sureseemslike the punch in to wear a monocle.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
The leading theories are that we mistake him for the monocled Mr. Peanut.
Explanations for the Mandela Effect
So why would this effect even happen?
Who was Alexander Hamilton?
ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
(Though this is an oversimplified explanation, it illustrates the general process.)
In this way, memory is unreliable and not infallible.
This isn’t lying, but rather remembering details that never happened.
NoDerog/Getty Images
Confabulation tends to increase with age.
Misleading Post-Event Information
Information that you learn after an event can change your memory of an event.
This includes event subtle information and helps to explain whyeyewitness testimonycan be unreliable.
Priming
Primingdescribes the factors leading up to an event that affects our perception of it.
Saying, “Did you seetheblack car?”
instead of “…ablack car?”
Bloomberg/Getty Images
makes a subtle suggestion that influences response and memory.
In essence, memories are vulnerable bits of information stored in the brain that can be changed over time.
While we assume that our memories are accurate, this is not necessarily the case.
Lucasfilm
You aren’t alone if you think this sounds unrealistic.
This is why such a far-fetched theory continues to gain traction among the Mandela effect communities.
you could’t prove it’s not real, so you could’t discount the possibility of it.
Warner Bros. Entertainment
For many people, the excitement of a bit of mystery in everyday life also likely comes into play.
Incorrectly recalling information is, in fact, quite common.
One study found that 76% of people made some punch in of mistake when asked to recall information.
PBS Kids
It’s probably no coincidence that consideration of the Mandela effect has grown in this digital age.
Sinbad also dressed up like a genie for an event that he hosted in the 1990s.
Online communities spread this information until it appeared to be factual.
Hasbro
Of course, we don’t know everything.
Prasad D, Bainbridge W.The Visual Mandela Effect as evidence for shared and specific false memories across people.PsyArXiv.
- doi:10.31234/osf.io/nzh3s
Robins SK.Confabulation and constructive memory.Synthese.
2018;6(2):201-233.
Diamond NB, Armson MJ, Levine B.
The truth is out there: accuracy in recall of verifiable real-world events.Psychol Sci.
Cochran B.The Mandela Effect.
Julu N.Top 10 Examples of the Mandela Effect That Will Leave You Scratching Your Head.
2011;64(1):18-31.
