The Mandela effect is the experience of many people sharing the same clear memory of something that did not happen that way, or that did not exist in the record.
Why It Matters
Named by Fiona Broome after people recalled Nelson Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s, it points to questions about memory, shifting timelines and how reality is formed.
Related Terms
Go Deeper
Read the full guide: Mandela Effect: Examples, Theories and Meaning