The Mandela Effect refers to a collective false memory phenomenon where large groups of people remember specific details differently than they exist in reality. Coined by Fiona Broome in 2009 after discovering many shared her belief that Nelson Mandela died in prison during the 1980s, the term has since become a cornerstone of internet culture. Popular examples include the Berenstain Bears spelling, the Monopoly Man’s lack of a monocle, and Curious George’s missing tail. In meme culture, it is used to express existential dread, confusion over 'glitches in the matrix,' or to mock those who are stubbornly incorrect about historical facts. It taps into the unsettling idea that our timeline might have shifted or that our memories are fundamentally unreliable.