The Mandela effect is an unusual phenomenon where a large group of people remember something differently than how it occurred.
False memories can sometimes be shared by multiple people. One prominent example comes from a 2010 study that examined people familiar with the clock at Bologna Centrale railway station, which was damaged in the Bologna massacre bombing in August 1980. In the study, 92% of respondents falsely remembered the clock had remained stopped since the bombing when, in fact, the clock was repaired shortly after the attack. Years later the clock was again stopped and set to the time of the bombing in observance and commemoration of the bombing. Other such examples include memories of the title of the Berenstain Bears children's books being spelled Berenstein, the logo of clothing brand Fruit of the Loom featuring a cornucopia,[10] and the existence of a 1990s movie entitled Shazaam starring comedian Sinbad as a genie.
In 2010, this shared false memory phenomenon was dubbed "the Mandela effect" by self-described "paranormal consultant" Fiona Broome, in reference to her false memory of the death of South African anti-Apartheid leader Nelson Mandela in prison in the 1980s (he actually died in 2013, after having served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999), which she claimed was shared by "perhaps thousands" of other people.
Examples:
- Looney Tunes vs. Looney Toons logo
- "I am your father." vs "Luke, I am your father."
- C-3PO Has a Silver Leg
- "Run, you fools!" vs "Fly, you fools!"
- Pikachu's Tail with black mark or without it
- "Sex and the city" vs "Sex in the city"
- Febreze vs Febreeze
- Sketchers vs Skechers
- Fruit Loops vs Froot Loops
- Kit Kat vs Kit-Kat
- The Flinstones vs The Flintstones
- "Hello, Clarice" vs "Good morning"
- 50 US states vs 52 US states
- Sinbad Never Played a Genie in the Shazaam movie.
- Tank man did not stop the tank completely in 1989 on Tiananmen Square protects
- Source: Mandela Effect - False memory