u/Amal19982020

I want to share a specific memory from my childhood that I’ve been thinking about lately.

Back in 2008 or 2009, when I was 9 years old, a teacher came into our class for an extra "filler" session. Since it wasn't a formal class, he was just teaching us some general knowledge "for fun". It was actually the very first time I had ever been introduced to the Solar System and the names of the planets.

The teacher taught us the order as follows:

1. Mercury / 2. Mars / 3. Earth / 4. Venus

I carried this information with me for quite a while, believing it was the truth. It wasn't until a long time later, when we finally started our official science curriculum and studied the planets in detail, that I realized the "official" order was actually:

1. Mercury / 2. Venus / 3. Earth / 4. Mars

At the time, I just assumed the teacher had made a mistake because he wasn't a specialized science teacher and was just talking for fun. But lately, I’ve been wondering why this specific order stuck with me so vividly and if it’s just a random error.

My questions to you all:

Does anyone else remember being taught the solar system in that specific order (Mars 2nd, Venus 4th)?

Do you think it was just a simple error by a non-specialist, or could this be something like a Mandela Effect / different timeline?

I’m curious to know if anyone else has a similar memory or if it was just an isolated mistake by that one teacher.

I’ve just fallen down the Mandela Effect rabbit hole, and I’m honestly a bit shaken. I realized I’ve experienced this firsthand with two very specific examples:

​Pikachu’s Tail: I was 100% certain that Pikachu had a black tip on his tail in the original anime. After looking it up, I found out it’s always been plain yellow (with some brown at the base). My brain cannot accept this.

​La Vache Qui Rit (The Laughing Cow): I clearly remember being a child and asking why the cow had a golden nose ring. I was fascinated by it. I checked the packaging recently, no nose ring, and apparently, there never was one.

​I’ve always believed in the existence of parallel universes due to my religious background, but I always assumed they were distinct and would never intersect. Now, I’m starting to wonder if these "memories" are actually fragments from another timeline.

​It’s starting to feel a bit scary. Right now, it’s just minor details, a cartoon character, a logo. But what if the "shifts" become major? What if the world or my own life changes in a significant way, and I’m the only one who remembers it differently?

​Has anyone else transitioned from seeing this as a "fun fact" to feeling genuine existential dread? How do you deal with the feeling that the reality you’re standing on isn't as solid as you thought?