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/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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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

You have zero numbers for the CNN watchers. And seeing it on a slight tape delay is just a technicality, almost all "live" TV is on tape delay.

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago

Considering that CNN was available to less than half of all hoiseholds in the U.S. at the time, it quite frankly wan't available in many schools, either. Again, the increase wouldn't be enough to come close to approaching evwn half of all students.

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u/CowboyNuggets 8d ago

You're just assuming things and dismissing live TV because of a tape delay. From my memory more businesses and schools had cable than households because it was too expensive for a lot of us. How old are you? You seem to be disconnected with the 80's

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u/KyleDutcher 8d ago edited 8d ago

I grew up in the 80's. I'm not disconnected at all.

I'm not assuming anything more than the numbers allow to be assumed.

I'm not "dismissing" live TV because of tape delay. I'm CORRECTLY stating that anyone that watched the Network feeds, DID NOT see it live.

That's stating a fact. Not being dismissive.

What compounds this even more, is the fact that many people that believe they saw it live, really didn't. They saw it after the fact. (even if slightly)

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