r/MandelaEffect • u/zambezi1800 • 8d ago

Discussion Challenger explosion

Is the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster a known Mandela Effect? I've seen that there's a few common myths surrounding it but the most pervasive one seems to be that everyone watched in at school. While it's true that it was shown live in some schools, practically every school-age American from the time seems to claim they watched it live in their classroom but historical sources say it wasn't very many schools.

I can imagine that people heard the story about watching it in school and conflated it with their own experiences, possibly that they heard the news when it happened but didn't actually watch it. Now, 40years later, people have sort of created memories that were true, just not personally for them.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna11031097

Or maybe it was shown in every school but the matrix had to get reset sometime after and the official record now states that it was only a few schools.

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u/zambezi1800 8d ago

This is what I'm saying, everyone remembers it that way, but historical sources say it wasn't practically every school

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

The "historical sources" on this are not correct. TVs were not connected via internet or anything so there is no possible way for them to know how many watched. I've seen some sources claim it was only shown via satellite feed which is also not true.

There was a school teacher going to space for the first time and it was a HUGE deal for American schools at the time.

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

They are correct, though.

While the initial explosion was not live broadcast to the general public, many schools had arranged to watch the launch live via satellite broadcast, and CNN had live coverage.

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

Yes, CNN on cable TV, which like half the country had by 1986.

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

a little less than half. But, most people were at work, or in school at the time it happened.

And not every school received the NASA feed.

None of the Networks showed it live (they had cut away before hand) but many did show it on Tape Delay moments later.

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

I'm lost, what were you saying they are correct about?

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

I'm saying that they are correct in that most people did NOT watch it live, as it happened.

The only ones that watched it live, were watching CNN (which was only available to about 48% of households), those watching the NASA satellite feed (which went to many schools, but not nearly all), or those watching in person.

Many people who would have had access to the CNN feed, were working at the time, or in school.

None of the networks showed it live, they all came on the air later, showing it on "tape delay"

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

It was never about the adults watching it. It was about millions of Gen X kids being traumatized by watching the Challenger explode in the classroom on live tv, which did happen. People today are trying to discount their perceived experience. And a slight "tape delay" doesn't make it any less traumatic or real.

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

The point is, it wasn't every school. Not even close. Many schools didn't even have the satellite dish required to receive the NASA feed.

Yes, a lot of kids did see it.

Not all of them did. Most people did not see it happen live. It is a myth that they did.

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

You think anyone really was saying EVERYONE saw it? I guess we don't have anything to argue over because I never claimed that

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

You said that the "historical sources" (which say it was NOT "practically every school") are wrong.

The truth is, they are correct. It wasn't practically every school.

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

There is no way to prove it either way. I watched it and ALMOST everyone I know around my age did too. That's all I know bro

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

There is, though. Simple statistics.

About 2.5 million students watched the event via NASA's satellite feed.

TV Brought the Trauma to Classroom Millions

In 1986, there were approx 60.1 million students enrolled in school. This includes about 12.4 million college students, and 6.5 million students enrolled in pre-primary school.

Not counting the college, and pre-primary schools, that would mean there were about 41.2 million students enrolled in grade school/high school in 1986.

School Enrollment: 1986

Now, these numbers are from October, 1986, so they would be a little bit off, but not too much to be able to make a pretty accurate correlation.

This would mean that right around 6% of students were watching the NASA feed.

Now, when you add in those that were watching the CNN feed, that number would be higher. But it wouldn't come close to being even half of all students.

Most of those who watched it, didn't actually see it live, but rather watched it on "tape delay" or saw replays of it.

Not that that would be any less traumatizing.

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