Can the past change? It sounds incredible, but scientists are debating exactly this, with various theories ranging from quantum mechanics to the many-worlds interpretation. If it could, how would it appear to us? The internet is buzzing with wild ideas, so it's time to go over where they originated, and consider in detail what exactly might be causing it.
Batman movie in the 1940's?
- ZachKnife
Alternate:
1960's
Current:
1940's
When was the first Batman movie?
Many people are aware that there was a Superman movie in the 1950's. When you ask them about Batman however, they just remember Adam West playing him in the 1960's and think that was his first appearance on film. They are surprised to hear he was around even earlier than Superman.
Batman first appeared in comic form, since his creation by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. In fact his first two movies were in the 1940's and titled Batman (1943) and Batman and Robin (1949). The first actor to play him on film was Lewis Wilson, and his role was played by Robert Lowery in the second movie. There's some controversy around the first movie. Since it was made by the US during World War 2, there is a great deal of anti-Japanese sentiment present.
First Muppet in 1955?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
1955
Current:
1976
When did the first muppet appear?
The Muppets are so ingrained in popular culture today that it's hard to think of a time when they didn't exist. From Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy through to the Animal and all the rest of them, the very term "Muppet" has entered the vocabulary as a descriptive term for someone.
Yet there was a time when they first appeared, and most people assume this was when they got their own show in 1976. They are incorrect. Those even more savvy might point out they were on Sesame Street for many years prior to that, but when it comes to the first appearance, they are out by a couple of decades.
That's because the first Muppet to appear on television was actually in 1955. Jim Henson created them for the show Sam and Friends, which ran for 6 years from 1955, and following appearances in advertising campaigns and some late night TV shows, joined Sesame Street in 1969.
Did sunlight kill Dracula in the novel?
- Eve Clemmons
Alternate:
Sunlight killed Dracula in the novel
Current:
Sunlight did not kill Dracula in the novel
Did sunlight kill Dracula in the novel?
Most everyone knows how Dracula in the movies flees sunlight. In many, he and other vampires are killed by it and his body is shown crumbling away to dust.
Not many people realise this is entirely a fiction introduced in the movies only, and was not present in the original novel.
In fact it is even possible to pinpoint which movie introduced this. It was the 1922 Nosferatu, which, whilst a classic in its own right, was widely regarded as a Dracula clone in all but name due to copyright reasons. It's not the only deviation from the novel either - a swarm of rats is brought in with his ship, which spreads a plague in the town. This is entirely missing from the novel.
Were credit cards documented in 1888?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
1950
Current:
1888
When were credit cards first described in detail?
People think of the origins of money being something like pebbles being used by cavemen, which is almost certainly untrue in any case. The idea of money evolving into something totally abstract, beyond mere entries in a bank account, is popularly associated with the rise of technology, computers and in particular the restructuring many economies were forced to undertake as part of their rebuilding process after the second world war. In particular, the Diners Club cars, launched in 1950, is popularly regarded as the world's first credit card.
It turns out that whilst the implementation of credit cards began at this time, the idea of how they would function was fully documented in great detail a lot earlier.
From the novel Looking Backward:
… a credit card issued him with which he procures at the public storehouses, found in every community, whatever he desires whenever he desires it. This arrangement, you will see, totally obviates the necessity for business transactions of any sort between individuals and consumers.
-- Edward Bellamy, 1888
Was "Imagine, if you will" said in the Twilight Zone intro?
- Ray Wu
Alternate:
"Imagine, if you will" was never used as a Twilight Zone introduction
Current:
"Imagine, if you will" was often used as a Twilight Zone introduction
You're travelling to another dimension
Think of the old 1950/1960's black and white 'Twilight Zone' TV show and what's the first thing that springs to mind? For most, after the spooky tinkling music, it's Rod Serling's introduction beginning 'Imagine if you will...', where he then describes various weird phenomena such as dimensions beyond space and time.
So, imagine if you will, the surprise of the many people who find out he never said that, and they are experiencing the Mandela Effect. Even though it's referenced in many places on the internet, not once did he say it in his introduction to an episode. This is the same class of Mandela Effect as Morpeus in The Matrix, where even though people can hear his distinctive voice in their head, he never said "what if I told you...".
Mandela Daze
- Carter Tweed
BREAKING! The Mandela Effect is confirmed!
News just in - we have the exclusive on the Mandela Effect being confirmed for real.
"Mandela Daze" has the scoop - it features a couple of regular dimwits "navigating a world where a real Mandela Effect" happens every day.
This blockbuster is brought you you in the form of a "Rick and Morty" style animated cartoon, funded via Kickstarter.
The plan is to make the best show in history. The pilot is done, and the kickstarter campaign is to fund 3 seasons of 12 episodes each.
From the Story page:
As the world plunges into chaos with the once-mythical "Mandela Effect" scientifically confirmed, two dim-witted losers navigate the sci-fi glitches and anomalies introduced into their daily lives in an attempt to keep their pointless existence as unaffected as possible.
-- Mandela Daze
Do lemmings intentionally commit suicide?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
Yes
Current:
No
Do lemmings deliberately kill themselves?
Picture the idea of lemmings "killing themselves" and there's always one thing that's present but never thought about. That is, they are always jumping off a cliff into water.
The popular misconception of them deliberately killing themselves ignores this fact, and focuses on the cliff. This is the key to their behaviour, where it turns out they are not committing suicide at all. In fact, they are migrating, which also explains why you always hear of large groups doing this at once, rather than individual ones at different times.
The herd is aware it has outgrown it's current location, in terms of resources and habitat, so instinct kicks in and collectively they know it's time to move on. They have been living near rivers and streams, so are used to crossing by swimming and always, until now, got to the other side safely, if a little tired. Unfortunately, all this combines to them thinking they just need to keep swimming to migrate, but don't realise how different the ocean is, but do know it's the one place they haven't been before.
