What is the Mandela Effect?

A simplified answer is when a mass group of people have the same false memory. For example, in the iconic Star Wars scene where Darth Vader reveals to Luke Skywalker that he is his father, the quoted line is, "Luke, I am your father", right? WRONG! Darth Vader actually says, "No, I am your father" (check it out at 1:09 in the video below).

How did we get it wrong for so many years? The Mandela Effect. That's how!

There have been tons of incidents like this over the course of history. It can cause mass confusion or conspiratorial uprising. Some people will really dig their heels in! They swear that their memory is correct, and the only reasonable explanation is that the universe has changed.

Now, I don't know about all of that. But I have seen examples of mass groups of people misremembering pretty iconic moments in history.

Someone recently took to the New Hampshire Reddit group, and mentioned that they are experiencing a Mandela Effect about our great state. If you spend a lot of time in Coös County, you might be familiar with this teeny lake in Pittsburg, New Hampshire. This Reddit user and their fiancé always referred to this body of water as "Black Lake" and is now finding out that it is actually "Back Lake".

They came to the conclusion that '"Back" and "Black" are similar enough that maybe they were just mistaken, or simply forgot the original name for the more common-sounding "Black Lake".

But THEN they took a peek at Google maps, and one of the spots on the lake is labeled, "Black Lake Access".

This Reddit user goes on to explain that one of the key factors of the Mandela Effect is that there will still be remnants of the "original timeline", which the powers that be overlooked. And thus, we might have a Back vs Black parallel in our reality. Or perhaps (and more likely), nobody has bothered to name-check this obscure lake in Google Maps.

The couple then asked their fellow Redditors if anyone else remembers a "Black Lake", or if it's always been "Back".

Many people who were born and raised in Pittsburg chimed in in the comments, saying it has always been called Back Lake. One commenter mentioned that there is also a Black Pond in Lincoln, which they could have seen on signage on the way to Pittsburg, thus contributing to their confusion.

And finally, someone consulted the United States Geological Survey (which feels like a pretty trustworthy source). They have the lake listed as Back Lake (and it's also listed as a reservoir, not a lake).

Whether you call it "Back Lake" or "Black Lake", I think we can all agree that Pittsburg, New Hampshire, is a beautiful hidden gem in our already beautiful state.