What Is the Mandela Effect—and Why Are So Many People Talking About It?

Have you ever been absolutely certain about a memory—only to discover it never happened that way? If so, you’re not alone. You may have experienced what's known as the Mandela Effect, a strange and increasingly talked-about phenomenon that's leaving millions questioning the accuracy of their own memories.

Despite its growing popularity, many people still haven’t heard of the Mandela Effect. Others brush it off as an internet hoax or even early signs of memory loss. Yet, countless individuals around the world have vivid recollections of events, logos, quotes, or even historical moments that don’t align with the official record. And perhaps even more fascinating—many others are completely unaware of these discrepancies.

The term "Mandela Effect" was coined by paranormal researcher Fiona Broome after she discovered that a surprisingly large number of people shared the same false memory: that Nelson Mandela had died in prison during the 1980s or ’90s. In reality, Mandela was released from prison and went on to become the president of South Africa, playing a pivotal role in ending apartheid.

So what’s going on?

The Mandela Effect is defined as the collective misremembering of facts or events—people recalling things in ways that never happened, at least not according to history books or official records. Snopes, the well-known fact-checking site, describes it simply as “a collective misremembering of a fact or event.” While that’s a tidy explanation, it hardly captures the mystery—and the massive scale—of what many feel they’re experiencing.

Is it just a quirk of human memory? A glitch in the matrix? Or something else entirely?

Whatever the cause, the Mandela Effect is a fascinating cultural and psychological phenomenon—one that continues to spark debate, intrigue, and more than a few goosebumps.