The Mandela Effect
May 8, 2018
The Mandela Effect is a conspiracy theory that describes th
e presence of 2 parallel universes because there are things people remember of the past that are different now. The theory claims that we used to be in a different timeline in an alternate universe, but we switched timelines at some point and now things are different than we remember
The name comes from Fiona Broome who is an author, researcher, and paranormal consultant. In the 1980s, she talked about Nelson Mandela’s passing when he was in prison, but it is common knowledge that he died recently in 2013. She thought he died in prison and even remembered his wife giving a speech about it on TV. When she found out he was still alive, she decided that it was just a slight confusion. That is, until she had a conversation with a security guard at a convention and mentioned the mix up. He said that he had thought the same thing, and that he knew a few others who had also. Fiona decided to start a website about this “Mandela Effect.” From there, a lot more people started agreeing that they had also thought Mandela died in the 80’s in prison.
This was not the only instance when people experienced a collective misremembering. For example, in the board game Monopoly, the Monopoly man has an iconic monocle. People always talk about this monocle, and movies have even referenced the iconic monocle. In the movie Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, there is a scene where Ace Ventura calls a man with a monocle, “the Monopoly Man”, indicating that the monopoly man does, in fact, have a monocle. However, it comes as a surprise that the monopoly man actually does not have a monocle! So, is this just a wide misconception or is it true in another universe?
Another popular “Mandela Effect” has to do with a popular kids book series called the Berenstain 
Bears. Not the Berenstein Bears like many thought, but the Berenstain Bears. People have sworn that it is the Berenstein Bears and not the Berenstain Bears, but whenever they look through their old books, they see that it really is Berenstain Bears. Seventeen Magazine says that, “They [fans] believe that the name of the books was actually Berenstein at one point, but we’ve shifted into a parallel universe — an alternative timeline, if you will — where the title of the books is The Berenstain Bears”.
These 3 instances are not the only case of the Mandela Effect. other misconceptions include, People believed that the cartoon kids show Loony Tunes, was actually Loony Toons. Febreeze not Febreze, etc.
Although a lot of people have heard of the Mandela Effect, not many believe in it. Thomas Jardine (11) says that, yes, he has heard of it but thinks, “it’s false. People have poor memory and it can be manipulated. There isn’t any proof of us phasing in and out of different realities as the theory suggests”.
Poon Singhatiraj (11) expresses a similar sentiment, “it’s just a thing that, like all conspiracy theories, interestingly “explains” why different people remember things differently from one another. Obviously, it’s not true but it’s just fun to see how other people remember things”.
Let us know if you believe in the “Mandela effect” in the comments below!
Test your memory with this quiz to see how much you have misremembered:
And if you are interested in more on this topic check out Nadav Ziskinder’s article from last year.
https://isbpanthernation.com/3992/arts/the-mandela-effect/