The Mandela Effect

Theoretical physics tells us that we are almost certainly living in just one of many - perhaps infinite - parallel universes. Perhaps in one, Hitler died of cholera as a baby. Perhaps in another one, Hitler won the war. 

According to evidence collected by internet sleuths, we may be living in a merged universe. It seems that whole groups of people remember the past differently. Could it be that they (or we) are from a parallel universe? Perhaps this is evidence that time travelers have - however subtly - been altering our timeline.

This theory is dubbed the "Mandela Effect" after the person who first identified it. Paranormal consultant Fiona Broome clearly remembered when Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 80s, including the elaborate state funeral which was thrown for him. One problem: Mandela did not die in prison in the 80s, he was released and lived until December 2013.

However, Broome has found many other people who remember the exact same thing she did. She began investigating and found other examples of the same glitches in our collective memory:

* The Berenstain Bears: Many people (including me) remember this series of children's books being spelled "Berenstein" but it has always been spelled "Berenstain."
* Many people recall learning that Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin, was a black man. He was not - at least, not in this reality.
* When asked how many states are in the U.S., some people believe the answer is 52. 

And many more.

Is this evidence that we come from different, perhaps merged or altered, parallel universes? Or simply evidence that human memory is not infallible?