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.
We asked 1 million Mandela Effect questions
- Carter Tweed
How big is a "group"?
There's something at the heart of the Mandela Effect which has been troubling from the start.
Most people know it's when a group of people have an alternate memory of something for which there's no evidence today, but the definition of group is vague. Technically, and mathematically, it's just more than one. but that isn't very satisfactory for obvious reasons. At the other end too, it's hard to say just how many trigger it - is it more than 100? More than 1000? Who defines all this anyway? Whilst there's certainly no "Mandela Effect police" regulating this, it's also true a consensus has been obtained which is generally understood.
Real numbers
To address this, the online survey was started in Jan 2018. This randomly asked a simple "current" or "alternate" ME question, collected the anonymous data, and performed analytics. At the least this would collect some hard numbers on that group problem, and there might be a bonus as more trends/patterns might be spotted.
The analytics were published from January 2019. Already some interesting results came out, but the real excitement came in January 2020 when the 1 million question count was passed.
Recognising there are other ways and tools to perform analytics than we have at our disposal, it was decided to release this 1 million question data set into the public domain. The hope is that others can process it with a greater change of finding a pattern than we could alone. Conveniently, this data set cover the two years from 2018 to 2019.
When did the Beatles split up?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
Late 1960's
Current:
Early 1970's
The long and winding road came to an end
When exactly did The Beatles split up?
Most people say the late 1960's, and some say the early 1970's. It turns out the truth is a little more complicated than either of those. For a start, if we're talking officially then it's 1975. That's because there was a long and drawn out court battle which wasn't settled until that date - January 9th, 1975.
The generally accepted break-up date isn't so clear either, because it wasn't a single event but more of a series of separate acts. The last time they played live together was from the rooftop of the Apple building in Saville Row, London, in January 1969, the last time they recorded together was in August 1969, and the last time they were all in the same room together was September 1969. By then the cracks in the band had become too wide to repair, and they were involved in solo projects as well as already gearing up with their lawyers over contracts and recording rights. In April 1970 various press releases were issued which, whilst strongly hinting at the break up of the band, did not explicitly make it clear it had happened.
Was Bela Lugosi buried in his Dracula cape?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
Bela Lugosi was not buried in his Dracula cape
Current:
Bela Lugosi was buried in his Dracula cape
Night night
Most people over a certain age know Bela Lugosi played Dracula in the famous black and white movie of the early 1930's, but when asked if he was buried actually wearing his Dracula cape are sure that's an urban myth, if they've heard of it at all.
It turns out to have a strange origin, but the story is true - he was buried in it.
He was born Bela Ferenc Dezso Blasko in 1882, in Lugos, Hungary which was not far from Transylvania. When he died in 1956, he was buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California, wearing a Dracula cape at the request of his wife and son who said it would have been what he wanted.
Where did the idea carrots improve eyesight come from?
- Bill Perez
Alternate:
The idea carrots improve eyesight is from science
Current:
The idea carrots improve eyesight is a cover story from World War 2
Rabbits know the score
Every parent tells their kids to eat their carrots so they will see better, and point out how well rabbits can see in the dark as evidence. Where did this idea come from? Was it from science, or is there a wild story behind it which was entirely manufactured for a very important reason?
It turns out it is the latter, although science says the vitamins will help, as would the same amount from any vegetable.
So what's this crazy backstory then? It turns out during the early years of World War 2, the British were the first to deploy radar, which suddenly made their ground artillery and air force a heck of a lot more accurate when detecting enemy planes. The needed to keep the reason quiet, or the enemy would figure out where the radar stations were, and attack them. So, knowing they couldn't hide this sudden increase in accuracy, they put the story out that the pilots were all eating lots of carrots to improve their eyesight - and it worked! Even the German pilots began eating more...
H.R. Pufnstuf / H.R. Puff 'n' stuf
- Harley Sapienza
Alternate:
H.R. Puff 'n' stuf
Current:
H.R. Pufnstuf
H.R. Pufnstuf / H.R. Puff 'n' stuf
The 1969 TV show featuring Jack Wild and a dragon is a fond memory for many of a certain age.
Many know about the not-so-hidden in joke in the title meaning "Hand Rolled" Puff and Stuff, but that's not what's bothering many people now - it's the apparent change in the spelling of the show's title. Today, all references are to "H.R. Pufnstuf", but this just looks wrong to them since they are sure it was "H.R. Puff 'n' stuf".
The show featured Jack as "Jimmy", who became shipwrecked on an island and was only 11 years old. He befriends Freddy, a talking flute, and they get into many various scrapes and adventures battling with Witchepoo, the wicked witch, and dealing with the mayor of the island, the aforementioned dragon HR Pufnstuf.
Lady Di: How many people in the car?
- BoltOLightnin
Alternate:
5 people
Current:
4 people
How many people were in the car which crashed killing Lady Di?
Most people past their mid-20's can remember where they were when they heard about Lady Di being killed in a car crash in 1997. This has a parallel with the JFK assassination, where it became a cliche to ask where their parents or grandparents were when they heard of his death.
However, when it comes to the Mandela Effect there's also a spooky parallel.
There's a well-known one surrounding the number of people in the car when JFK was assassinated, and now there's one concerning the number of people in Lady Di's car when she died. Some remember it to be 5, when all reports today show there were 4. The confusion comes from them remembering 2 survivors, not 1, and not being able to name who survived apart from Trevor Rees-Jones.
Did Henry Kissinger die in 2016?
- Ian Scott
Alternate:
Henry Kissinger died in 2016
Current:
Henry Kissinger did not die in 2016
Henry Kissinger
Some people remember Henry Kissinger dying in 2016. Like the Mandela Effect itself, the fact he lived beyond that date doesn't seem to erase the memories of those who remember his death.
People who remember his death in 2016 also immediately acknowledge he lived beyond that date. It's almost as if there's a dual memory, which logically is totally impossible, but unshakeable nevertheless.
Kissinger was a controversial figure to say the least. What is not in doubt is his influence in all the US foreign conflicts since Vietnam, ranging from when he was National Security Advisor to President Nixon right through working with President Trump in the Afghanistan conflict.
