Have you ever been certain that something was true—I mean, absolutely certain that you remember hearing or seeing something—only to find out that you were completely wrong? Even weirder, have you ever met someone who also made that exact same mistake? If so, you’ve experienced what’s called the Mandela effect: when multiple people all share the same mistaken idea or memory. Is it, as some people claim, a glimpse into an alternate dimension? Or just a weird quirk of how our brains work? Let’s be honest; the latter is definitely more likely. But still, it’s always strange and just a little unnerving to find out you share a false memory with a group of total strangers. We’ve collected examples of the Mandela effect from all over the web. Read on and see if you share any of these mistaken ideas and memories with your fellow netizens.
#1: A Portrait Is Worth a Thousand Words
When I read this next one, I actually had to go Google it to see if it was true. If you had asked me before I saw this post, I would have sworn up and down that it was “Portrait,” not “Picture.” Maybe we just got confused because “picture” and “portrait,” in this sense, mean the same thing?
By the way, if you haven’t read this book and you’re wondering if you should, let me warn you ahead of time: the concept of the novel is a lot more interesting than the novel itself. You will have an equally enjoyable experience if you just read the Wikipedia article about it, and it will save you a lot of time.