If someone were to ask , "What were Darth Vader's words as he revealed himself to be Luke Sky walker's father", 
many people, including the actor who played Darth Vader himself, would reply, "Luke, I am your father". However, this iconic line has been remembered wrong by countless people; the true words that he spoke were, "No, I am your father". Many people would be baffled by this revelation and rightfully so. How could so many people remember something wrong like this? One woman, Fiona Broome, came up with a name for this phenomenon: The Mandela Effect. 

The name "Mandela Effect" derives from Broome's own experience with incorrectly remembering a widely accepted idea pertaining to Nelson Mandela. Broome, like many others, believed that Nelson Mandela had died in prison in the 1980's and, as a result, was shocked when she heard the news that he died in 2013. This phenomenon now applies to any widely accepted event or idea that is incorrectly remembered by a large group of people. As this idea gained more popularity, the examples of this phenomenon grew and spread. Some of the best knows examples include the Berenstain vs. Berenstein Bear debate (many people remember it with an 'e'  when it is actually an 'a'), Nelson's Mandela's death date, Darth Vader's famous lines, and the Jif vs. Jiffy peanut butter debate (many people remember it as 'Jiffy' when it is actually 'Jif'). 

While many believe that this is simply an internet trend about interesting coincidences, others are taking this idea more seriously. Some believe that the Mandela Effect is a result of our universe colliding with an alternate universe, therefore changing small details of our world. Others cite Occam's Razor, an idea that says, "the simplest explanation is usually the correct one", and say that this is simply a result of faulty memories. Whether you believe that Mandela Effects are nothing more than hoaxes or that they are evidence that there are alternate universes, it undeniable that they are interesting to learn about.