“The Monopoly Guy Does Not Have a Monocle”: People Share Mind-Boggling Examples of the Mandela Effect

In 1969, when Neil Armstrong made his historic moon landing, he uttered words meant to echo through history: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Yet, the clarity of his iconic statement has been mired in controversy over what was actually said. Armstrong himself later suggested that a crucial “a” was lost in transmission, intending to say “for a man,” which would significantly alter the meaning.

Despite his clarification, the debate persisted, with a linguist from the University of Oregon in 2016 leaning towards Armstrong’s intended phrasing. However, a Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum expert in 2019 pointed out that without a script, they must rely on the words as heard.