The Mandela Effect has gone mainstream. Now that the internet is buzzing with wild theories and new examples every day, it's time to go over where the ideas originated, and consider in detail what exactly might be causing it.
Tiger Woods
- Tracy Cooper
Was Tiger Woods an American Gladiators contestant?
MMDE: Tiger Woods was an American Gladiators contestant
Current: Tiger Woods was not an American Gladiators contestant
Slate reports that people are remembering a teenage Tiger Woods appearing as a contestant in the mid 90's on the American Gladiators show.
Did a teenage Tiger Woods appear on it? Some remember him doing so, but there is no trace of this today which is why it's being called a Mandela Effect.
Famous for it's over-the-top showmanship, the fitness levels of its contestants and the inventive obstacles they had to contend with, the show ran from 1989 to 1996 and was seen in various forms the world over.
The Six Million Dollar Man
- Ian Grogan
What was The Six Million Dollar Man's job?
MMDE: Steve Austin was a Colonel in the US Air Force
Current: Steve Austin was a NASA Astronaut
Who can forget the dramatic slow motion action scenes used to indicate how fast Steve Austin could move, in the famous 70's series The Six Million Dollar Man? Accompanied by that distinctive synthesizer clattering sound, the tag line "We can rebuild him" was used in playgrounds the world over.
However, some people are sure he had a different job than the one we see today. They remember him being a jet pilot and not an astronaut, which is reinforced by his title of "Colonel Steve Austin". Looking today, it's clear - right from the voice over in the opening credits - that he ws an astronaut.
There might be an explanation for this confusion. For a start, there's the real world example of Neil Armstrong who was both. The difference here though is there was no memory of the astronaut part of the job, and the into sequence for every episode shows him having the accident whilst piloting an experimental aircraft.
Robert Mugabe
- Joe Hutt
When did Robert Mugabe die?
MMDE: Robert Mugabe died in 2017
Current: Robert Mugabe died in 2019
Robert Mugabe was a devisive figure indeed, but news of his death in 2019 caused some more concern than others, because they were sure he died in 2017.
Wait - this is another famous figure from South Africa involved in a mysterious reality glitch phenomenon? Perhaps it needs a catchy name so we can class other similar situations easier, something like The Mugabe Effect?
He was ousted as leader in 2017, but those who are sure he died earlier than 2019 remember him dying at the same time as the coup which saw him lose power from Zimbabwe.
Like Nelson Mandela, he spent many years in prison in the 60's only to be released and become a hugely important world figure.
Vikings Horns
- Ian Grogan
Vikings Horns
MMDE: Vikings had horns in their helmets
Current: Vikings did not have horns in their helmets
Where did the image of the Vikings rampaging across the land with horns in their helmets come from?
If you thought it was back in the Viking age, when they actually carried out their various raids, invasions and pillages, and not the 1800s, you are mistaken.
The image of horns on their helmets was never really seen before Sweden’s Gustav Malmström popularised them when painting them on their raids back in the 19th century, and they really only became cemented in our consciousness in the 1870's for Wagners “Der Ring des Nibelungen”.
In fact, no helmet from the period with horns has ever been found, whereas many without them have.
Buddha
- Cory Grajales
Buddha
MMDE: Buddha was fat
Current: Buddha was not fat
Most people - especially Westerners - picture Buddha as a jolly fat man, sitting cross legged with a big round belly poking out.
So it comes as quite a surprise to them when they learn this image is completely wrong, because it's a different person altogether. You can see many images of the laughing fat guy, including ornaments and statues all over the world - and grinning at you from the corner of your local Chinese restaurant.
The Buddha was called Siddhartha Gautama and lived in India. He was born in the year 567 BC in southern Nepal. He was slim.
However, a central tenet of Buddhism is reincarnation, and Buddhists believe Gautama was but one of many incarnations of the same being. Another was a 10th century monk in China called Budai, and, you guessed it, he was the fat laughing guy.
Fortune Cookies
- Ian Scott
Fortune Cookies
MMDE: Fortune Cookies originated in China
Current: Fortune Cookies did not originate in China
Come on, this is a no-brainer. Everyone knows fortune cookies came from China - don't they?
Not any more.
Today, the Chinese style phrases, proverbs or vague prophecies we see in them certainly allude to their origins as being oriental, and the Chinese restaurants they are served in, together with the way they are made, seem to fit in with what Westerners expect of Chinese food. But nope, they're rarely seen in China at all. This was even confirmed in a 1983 court case confirming they were first served in San Francisco.
It turns out they are largely an American invention. Today they are certainly served in the Chinese restaurants of the US, but they were not brought over from the orient as a native dish.
Their popularity is due to the way they spread with the growth of what would have been seen as the new, exotic trend in foreign restaurants serving oriental food - or what appealed to the Americans of the day as such, even if not authentic.
Quaker Oats
- Joe Hill
Quaker Oats
MMDE: The Quaker oats guy is old
Current: The Quaker oats guy is young
People are remembering the guy in the Quaker Oats logo being old, and are surprised to find today he's actually a lot younger.
Whilst he's hardly a teenager, he wouldn't be described as senior either.
No doubt this MMDE is welcomed by the marketing team behind the oats, and perhaps we'll see some new advertising angle promoting it's youth-restoring properties as a selling point.
There's another issue with the Quaker Oats guy - his hat. Some are saying they remember a three pointed shape, more in line with those worn during the 18th century, and see his current one doesn't seem to fit with the rest of his outtfit, being more like a cowboy hat
