There are some pieces of information that we don’t question because it’s just an accepted truth. It feels as if everyone knows certain facts and there’s no need to look them up or verify them because you trust the knowledge of society as a whole.
But, what if some of those pieces of information were wrong? Now, it’s not that you are being purposefully misled. Instead, we can all fall victim to something called the Mandela Effect. But, what exactly is the Mandela Effect, and what are some ‘facts’ you will likely believe that are not actually facts at all? Read on to have your mind blown.
The Mandela Effect refers to something which is so widely misremembered that the incorrect version becomes widely accepted as fact. The naming of the phenomenon refers to the fact that a lot of people think that famous South African anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela died while he was in prison in the 1980s, but in fact he died in 2013 - over two decades after his release.
Here are some surprising examples of the Mandela Effect. See how many of them you are aware of. Click through our gallery to see all of them.
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9. The spelling of the name of this popular cleaning product
There’s a particular brand of cleaning products which help us to combat odours all around the home. You’ll pronounce it as ‘febreeze’, but did you know that it’s actually spelled ‘febreze’? | Ralf - stock.adobe.com
10. The spelling of a popular snack
At one time or another, we’ve all enjoyed the chocolatey, biscuity goodness of a KitKat. Now, read that again. Did you notice that there’s no hyphen between ‘kit’ and ‘kat’, yet many of us will insert one. | AlenKadr - stock.adobe.com
11. The name of a popular TV show
It’s arguably one of the most successful shows of all time, but there is merchandise out there which gets the name of HBO series Sex and the City wrong. The show began in the late 90s and lasted for six series, and its success led to two films and even a 2022 reboot series called Just Like That. There are some perfumes and other merchandise out there, however, which is labelled as Sex in the City. | Getty Images
12. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Oscar
Leonardo DiCaprio is one of Hollywood’s most recognisable actors, and Titanic was the film that propelled him to stardom in 1997. The actor’s role is so iconic that most people believe he won an Oscar for best actor for his performance in this film. But, that’s not true. He was actually first given an Oscar almost 20 years later for his role in The Revenant. | Getty Images