Have you ever sworn that you recall something that never actually happened? For example, maybe you remember a specific event being cast on live television, but there is no proof of that event. This is called "The Mandela Effect," and many people experience it. The Mandela Effect got its name from the death of Nelson Mandela. A handful of people remember Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, when in reality he actually passed away in 2013. There are many other occurrences of this phenomenon.
Chartreuse
Many people could have sworn that the color chartreuse was more of a dark red color, similar to maroon. In reality, chartreuse is more of a yellow color, similar to that of Mountain Dew.
Smokey The Bear
There was a song about Smokey where "the" was added between "Smokey" and "bear" to keep the tune. However, people claim to remember seeing signs distinctly with the words "Smokey the Bear." According to the official Smokey website, fans are the ones who placed "the" between Smokey Bear's name.
"The Money Pit"
I have never seen this movie, but people remember two totally different endings. This 1986 movie starred Tom Hanks and Shelly Long. At the end of the movie, people remember the house collapsing in the basement. However, there are others who remember the house being built perfectly at the end, and Hanks and Long getting married.
" Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back"
Whether this is a misinterpretation of lines, or a real claim of the Mandela Effect, many Star Wars fans swear that this movie line is correct. As we all know, in this episode of Star Wars, Luke finds out that Darth Vader is actually his dad. According to more than half of the Star Wars fan population, the exact movie line is "Luke, I am your Father." In actuality, Darth Vader says "No, I am your Father". In my opinion, the fist version sounds a lot cooler.
The Berenstain/Berenstein Bears
Not kidding, this one creeps me out the most. I swear that ever since I read the books as a kid and watched the TV show, it has always been spelled "Berenstein," so when I found out it has been spelled "Berenstain" all this time, my brain wanted to combust. This is probably one of the more popular Mandela Effect claims out there, besides the one about Mandela himself.
So what does this all mean? Well, many people believe that these "memory glitches" are due to a parallel universe blending in with the universe that we are in right now. Basically, many of us are from different realities and somehow ended up in the same one. On the other hand, there is a psychological explanation for this phenomenon. Psychologists believe that the Mandela Effect is related to cognitive dissonance, which is the discomfort that one feels when they believe a particular thing and are then confronted by new information that changes what they originally believed.
Have you ever experienced the Mandela Effect before?
