WILMINGTON - Nelson Mandela, the globally respected anti-apartheid activist, is widely known for his 27 year imprisonment within his home country of South Africa. He was locked up due to his civil disobedience demonstrations in an effort to establish equality for all of his country’s citizens.
Recently, Mandela has garnered Internet fame as the original example of a strange (and sometimes spooky) phenomenon.
You see, a considerable number of people (mostly gathered together on Internet forums) claim to clearly remember Mandela dying while he was in prison. Even going as far as to say they remember seeing his funeral broadcast on TV.
This is not the case; Mandela didn’t die until December of 2013 (aged 95) and long after serving as the president of South Africa (1994-1999).
This strange condition, in which a large number of people share a false memory, is referred to as a “confabulation” in psychiatry, and more generally as The Mandela Effect (coined by Fiona Broome, a self-described “paranormal consultant,” on her blog in 2010).
Once you start looking for other examples of these widely “misremembered” events, phrases, and lapses in collective memory, the Mandela Effect begins to show up in many other places as well:
The Bernstein Bears
Since its debut in 1962, the popular children’s book series has entertained generations of children with its friendly family of bears 23u and the adventures that they embark upon.
Think back to your own childhood and picture the cover of one of these books, with the title across the top in decorative script and a colorful illustration of the family’s latest escapade below.
Now double check the spelling of the family’s last name.
Is there an “e” within stein?
You may remember them as the Bernstein Bears, but they are (and apparently always have been) the Bernstain bears.
Google that popular bologna brand that “has a first name” while you’re at it for another weird a/e swap.
JFK’s Lincoln Continental
John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22nd, 1963, in Dallas, Texas.
This incident was one of history’s most documented and studied events of the 20th century, with countless hours of documentaries dedicated to the details of that day.
It is engrained in our collective consciousness for good reason, and folks tend to be able to recall where they were “the day that Kennedy was shot.”
But can you recall how many passengers where in JFK’s car at the time?
The popular answer is four: Kennedy, Jackie, Governor Connally, and the driver.
The correct answer is six - Governor Connally’s wife and an additional Secret Service agent where there as well.
There was a middle row of seats within the Continental that many people don’t remember being there.
Most “recreations” of the event show a four-seater vehicle (including the Secret Service’s official re-enactment of the event).
Even more curious, the replica of Kennedy’s fateful vehicle, located in the Historic Auto Attractions Museum in Roscoe, Illinois, has only four seats.
Popular Phrases
We are terrible at remembering dialogue in movies and television.
Once a phrase (whether correct or not) has taken hold in our everyday lexicon, we tend to repeat it enough to the point that it becomes an unquestioned part of our culture’s zeitgeist.
We’ve messed up some of the more famous ones:
“Beam me up Scotty” is never actually said in the Star Trek Series.
Sally Field never said, “You like me, you really like me!” - she actually says, “You like me, right now, you like me!”
Lucy never “had some ‘splaining to do” - this phrase never occurred on the show.
Forrest Gump said, “Life WAS like a box of chocolates,” not “is.”
“Play it again, Sam!” was actually just “Play it again!”
Darth Vader never said, “Luke, I am your father.” The line is actually “NO, I am your father.”
Although some folks continue to believe their original memories are correct (even proposing theories of parallel universes and alternate timelines to explain the discrepancies), the Mandela Effect is most likely a symptom of the fallibility of the human memory.
There is a reason that eye witness testimony is not considered substantial evidence in court.
We make mistakes and misremember things all the time (e.g., where did I put my keys?).
Just remember (pun intended) that objects in your memory MAY not be as clear as they appear (check out the warning on your car’s side mirror when you get a chance).
Editor's note: This article was contributed by Caison Craven, a new member of the Richmond Observer family of talented writers.
