Etymology

Mandela effect

Today it means: The phenomenon of a large number of persons independently sharing the same false memory. Full definition →

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The story

Coined by American writer and paranormal consultant Fiona Broome in 2009 in reference to a false memory she had of South African leader Nelson Mandela (1918–2013) dying in the 1980s that other people reportedly shared.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.