Original subtitles

THINK YOUR MEMORY

IS SO SHARP THAT YOU CAN RECALL

MOST OF WHAT YOU SEE?

THEN PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO

THIS.

THIS IS AN OBSERVATION TEST.

I'M GOING TO DEAL THE CARDS

FACE-UP ONTO THE TABLE, AND YOU

NEED TO COUNT HOW MANY RED

CARDS I DEAL.

SO THAT IS NUMBER ONE.

IT'S DIFFICULT, SO PAY

ATTENTION, OK?

HERE WE GO.

HOW MANY RED CARDS

DID YOU SEE?

IN FACT, THERE WERE 14 RED

CARDS.

BUT DID YOU SPOT THE PUPPY, OR

THE KITTEN, THE GORILLA, THE

MAN, OR THE WOMAN?

IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU MISS RIGHT

IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES.

DID YOU SPOT ANY OF

THOSE THINGS?

WE'LL FIND OUT WHAT YOUR RESULTS

SAY ABOUT MEMORY AND THE BRAIN

IN A MINUTE.

THE FACT IS OUR BRAINS AND OUR

MEMORIES PLAY TRICKS ON US ALL

THE TIME.

AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT.

YOUR MEMORY IS NOT SIMPLY A

RECORDING.

YOUR MEMORY IS A CAREFULLY

DISTILLED, EDITED, AND OFTEN

OVER-EDITED DIGESTION.

IN THIS SPECIAL

SERIES, YOU'LL PARTICIPATE IN

MIND-BENDING EXPERIMENTS THAT

WILL REVEAL HOW AND WHY HUMAN

MEMORY IS PRONE TO MISTAKES.

WE OFTEN FEEL THAT OUR

MEMORIES ARE EXTREMELY RELIABLE.

BUT SOME OF THE TIME, THEY CAN

BE VERY, VERY INACCURATE.

AND WE'LL SEE HOW

MEMORY MISHAPS HAVE AFFECTED ALL

OF US, EVEN THE FAMOUS, AND

THE INFAMOUS.

WE WILL ALSO EXAMINE HOW THESE

SIMPLE MISTAKES HAVE IMPACTED

HISTORY.

SO OFTEN, THE PERSONAL

MEMORIES THAT WE HAVE ARE NOT

WHAT THEY SEEM.

AND SO OFTEN, THE HISTORY THAT

WE MIGHT CONSIDER TRUTH IS ALSO

NOT WHAT IT SEEMS.

THESE ARE EFFECTIVELY ALL

STORIES.

BY EXPLORING

SPECIFIC CASES, FROM UFO

ABDUCTIONS TO THE ACTUAL

TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS OF 9/11

AS WELL AS THE BATTLEFIELDS OF

WORLD WAR II TO THE INFAMOUS

MURDER TRIAL OF LIZZIE BORDEN,

WE WILL UNCOVER HOW HUMAN MEMORY

HAS SHAPED OUR WORLD AND CHANGED

THE WAY WE REMEMBER HISTORY.

SOMETIMES OUR BRAINS CAN GET

US TO REMEMBER SOMETHING THAT

NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

GET READY TO PUT

YOUR MEMORY TO THE TEST AS WE

DELVE INTO THE MYSTERIES OF

YOUR BLEEPED-UP BRAIN.

LET'S GO BACK TO RICHARD

WISEMAN'S TEST.

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK.

THIS TIME, DON'T FOCUS ON

COUNTING THE RED CARDS.

KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN.

YOU NEED TO COUNT HOW MANY

RED CARDS I DEAL.

SO THAT IS NUMBER ONE.

IT'S DIFFICULT, SO PAY

ATTENTION, OK?

HERE WE GO.

IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU MISS

RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES.

DID YOU SPOT THE

HIDDEN PICTURES AND MESSAGES

THIS TIME?

IF YOU DIDN'T REMEMBER SEEING

THOSE THE LAST TIME, IT'S

BECAUSE OF A SIMPLE FACT--YOU

CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT YOU DON'T

NOTICE.

IN FACT, YOU'RE ONLY

CONSCIOUS OF A VERY, VERY SMALL

CIRCLE OF ATTENTION, A KIND OF

SPOTLIGHT THAT MOVES AROUND.

DESPITE HOW COMPLEX

AND SEEMINGLY ADVANCED OUR

BRAINS ARE, THEY ONLY PICK UP A

SMALL FRACTION OF THE

INFORMATION THEY ENCOUNTER

EVERY DAY.

EVEN THOUGH OUR BRAINS ARE A

WONDER OF HUMAN EVOLUTION, THEY

ARE STILL NOT PERFECT.

AND THE SELECT DETAILS THEY PICK

UP ON ARE WHAT DETERMINE OUR

MEMORIES.

MEMORIES WORK BY EXTRACTING

MEANING, GETTING THE GIST OF

WHAT'S HAPPENING AROUND US

RATHER THAN REMEMBERING EVERY

SINGLE DETAIL.

IF A MEMORY IS IN

THE DETAILS, WHAT DO THE DETAILS

REVEAL ABOUT ONE ALIEN ABDUCTION

STORY?

NOVEMBER 5, 1975, SNOWFLAKE,

ARIZONA.

IN FRONT OF SIX WITNESSES,

LOGGER TRAVIS WALTON EXPERIENCED

SOMETHING INCREDIBLE.

THEY SAW SOMETHING WEIRD IN

THE SKY.

THEY DESCRIBED IT AS A SILVERY

DISK.

WALTON APPROACHED THIS OBJECT

AND WAS BASICALLY PULLED IN BY A

TRACTOR BEAM.

HE WAS ABDUCTED BY ALIENS.

YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW SCARY THIS

IS.

FOR FIVE DAYS,

WALTON WAS MISSING.

FAMILY, FRIENDS AND AUTHORITIES

COULD FIND NO SIGN OF HIM.

THEN SUDDENLY, HE RE-EMERGED.

WHAT STANDS OUT IN THIS CASE IS

THAT WALTON RECALLED HIS

ABDUCTION EXPERIENCE IN

IMPRESSIVE, MINUTE-BY-MINUTE

DETAIL.

WALTON'S STORY IS THAT HE

WOKE UP IN A TRIANGULAR ROOM ON

A METAL TABLE, AND HE WAS BEING

EXAMINED BY ALIENS IN ORANGE

JUMPSUITS.

HE HAD INCREDIBLE DETAIL--

HEIGHT, WEIGHT, COLORS, NUMBERS.

HE TOLD VERY VIVID DETAILS ABOUT

WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO HIM,

PRECISELY WHEN, WHERE.

IT WAS JUST THIS--THIS DETAIL-

RICH ACCOUNT, LIKE SOMETHING

YOU WOULD SEE IN A SPIELBERG

FILM.

IN FACT, HIS STORY

WAS ADAPTED INTO THE ALIEN-

ABDUCTION MOVIE, "FIRE IN THE

SKY."

BUT COULD HIS ELABORATE ACCOUNT

ACTUALLY BE TRUE?

IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE NO

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.

ALL WE HAVE IS MEMORY.

IT'S JUST HIM AND HIS--AND HIS

MEMORIES.

IS IT POSSIBLE THAT

WALTON COULD HAVE REMEMBERED ALL

THESE DETAILS WITH SUCH

PRECISION?

IS OUR MEMORY CAPABLE OF

RECORDING SO MUCH INFORMATION

WITH SUCH ACCURACY?

WE'VE ALREADY SEEN HOW YOUR

MEMORY CAN MISS CRUCIAL DETAILS

FROM OUR PREVIOUS CARD

EXPERIMENT.

MAGICIAN EKATERINA DABROKATOVA

HAS AN EXPERIMENT THAT USES A

STANDARD 52-CARD DECK.

THIS TRICK WILL CHALLENGE YOUR

MEMORY TO PICK UP THE DETAILS.

DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE A

MEMORY THAT'S ABOVE-AVERAGE?

I WOULD SAY SO.

YEAH? AWESOME.

SO THIS IS A LITTLE EXPERIMENT.

I HAVE A FUN TRICK FOR YOU.

IT'S CALLED THE AMBITIOUS CARD

ROUTINE.

OKAY.

SO IT'S GOING TO BE VERY

EASY.

SELECT THE CARDS.

SO GO AHEAD AND SAY STOP

WHENEVER YOU WANT.

STOP.

RIGHT HERE? PERFECT.

TAKE YOUR CARD, AND MAKE SURE

TO SHOW IT TO THAT CAMERA SO

EVERYONE CAN SEE.

I'M TURNED AWAY SO THERE'S NO

WAY FOR ME TO SEE THE CARD.

GOOD.

GOT IT.

PERFECT.

NOW TO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT,

WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TWO

SELECTIONS, TWO CARDS TO

REMEMBER.

JUST SAY STOP.

STOP.

RIGHT HERE? PERFECT.

TAKE THE CARD.

AND SHOW BOTH CARDS AGAIN TO

THAT CAMERA.

REMEMBER THESE TWO

CARDS, THE EIGHT OF SPADES, AND

THE NINE OF CLUBS.

GOT IT?

AND JUST LET ME KNOW WHEN

YOU'RE DONE.

I'M DONE.

PERFECT.

SO DAVE, PLACE THEM ANYWHERE YOU

WANT.

THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE TOGETHER.

MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR ME.

PERFECT.

NOW PUSH THEM FLUSH WITH THE

DECK, EXCELLENT.

THERE YOU GO.

FAIR ENOUGH FOR YOU?

YUP, VERY FAIR.

PERFECT, NOW, DAVE, WATCH.

VERY SLOWLY, I'M GOING TO MAKE

THE CARDS GO THROUGH THE OTHER

CARDS ALL THE WAY TO THE TOP, SO

THEY'RE GONNA RISE IN FRONT OF

YOUR EYES, WATCH.

OKAY.

WATCH SLOWLY.

DID YOU SEE ANYTHING HAPPEN?

I DID NOT.

I DON'T THINK THEY'RE UP THERE.

WATCH, DAVE, THE FIRST TWO

CARDS...

ARE YOUR SELECTIONS.

(laughs) YES, THEY ARE.

THAT'S AMAZING.

HOW DID THE CARDS

FLOAT TO THE TOP OF THE DECK?

HOW DO YOU THINK I DID THIS?

I THINK IT'S A 2-CARD DECK.

THIS ISN'T A TRICK

DECK.

IT'S SIMPLY A TRICK ON OUR

MEMORY.

FOR THIS SLEIGHT OF HAND TO

WORK, YOUR MEMORY HAS TO DO ITS

PART.

THE FIRST TWO CARDS ARE YOUR

SELECTIONS.

(laughs) YES, THEY ARE.

THAT'S AMAZING.

BUT THOSE AREN'T

THE CARDS THAT THIS MAN CHOSE.

NOR ARE THEY PROBABLY THE ONES

YOU THOUGHT YOU COMMITTED TO

MEMORY.

THEY MAY LOOK SIMILAR, BUT

THEY'RE NOT THE SAME.

EVEN THOUGH THEY'VE JUST SEEN

THEIR CARDS, BY THE TIME I TAKE

THE OTHER TWO CARDS OFF THE TOP,

THEY FORGET THE DETAILS AND

DON'T NOTICE THE CHANGE.

ALL ALONG, WE HAD

THE 8 OF CLUBS AND THE 9 OF

SPADES ON TOP OF THE DECK.

THESE ARE NOT YOUR CARDS.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

THAT'S RIGHT.

YOU CONFUSED THE 9 OF SPADES

WITH THE 9 OF CLUBS, AND YOUR

CARD WAS THE 8 OF SPADES.

IN THIS MEMORY

MISHAP, THE SUITS HAVE SWAPPED.

IF YOU FELL FOR THIS LITTLE SUIT

SWITCH, DON'T FEEL BAD.

MOST PEOPLE DO.

IN FACT, 100% OF THE PEOPLE WE

TRIED THIS EXPERIMENT ON GOT IT

WRONG.

THIS AMBITIOUS CARD ROUTINE

WORKS BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE FORGET

THE DETAILS AND FALSELY REMEMBER

THE WRONG CARDS AS THE ONES THEY

PICKED.

AND UNLESS SOMEONE POINTS OUT

OUR MISTAKE, WE'D NEVER KNOW THE

DIFFERENCE.

PEOPLE WILL OVERWRITE THEIR

MEMORY WITH NEW INFORMATION

WITHOUT THEIR EVEN REALIZING IT.

WHAT COULD THIS

MEAN FOR TRAVIS WALTON'S HIGHLY

DETAILED MEMORY OF ALIEN

ABDUCTION?

IN ORDER TO BELIEVE TRAVIS

WALTON'S STORY, YOU HAVE TO PUT

A LOT OF FAITH IN MEMORY--IN

FACT, ALL FAITH IN MEMORY--AND

THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT

MEMORY IS FALLIBLE.

WHETHER WALTON WAS

ABDUCTED BY ALIENS OR NOT MAY

NEVER BE DEFINITIVELY PROVEN.

SOME ARGUE THAT IF IT WERE TRUE,

WALTON WOULD HAVE NEEDED TO

POSSESS AN EIDETIC OR

PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY, WHICH HE

SHOWED NO SIGNS OF AT OTHER

MOMENTS IN HIS LIFE.

WE DO KNOW THAT THE HUMAN BRAIN

CAN PLAY GAMES WITH YOUR MEMORY.

HOWEVER, WALTON'S MEMORIES OF

THE EVENT CERTAINLY MAKE IT REAL

FOR HIM.

IN FACT, THE WAY WE REMEMBER

THINGS ULTIMATELY DETERMINES

WHAT WE BELIEVE AND HOW WE

REMEMBER OUR VERY LIVES,

WHETHER THOSE THINGS HAPPENED OR

NOT.

THE HUMAN BRAIN HAS

BEEN CALLED THE MOST POWERFUL

MACHINE ON THE PLANET.

IT HAS UNLOCKED MYSTERIES OF THE

UNIVERSE AND RESHAPED THE STORY

OF HUMANITY.

WHEN YOU BECOME AWARE OF JUST

HOW YOUR BRAIN ACTUALLY WORKS,

ITS AMAZING ABILITY TO CONSTRUCT

YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE UNIVERSE,

IT CHANGES EVERYTHING.

BUT OUR BRAINS ARE

NOT WITHOUT FAULT.

AND THE BIGGEST CULPRIT IN OUR

MINDS MAY JUST BE OUR MEMORY.

SOMETIMES, EVEN WHEN WE'RE

PAYING ATTENTION, THE DETAILS

CAN SIMPLY GET PAST US.

TO PROVE IT, RICHARD WISEMAN

HAS ANOTHER CARD TRICK DESIGNED

TO MESS WITH YOUR MIND.

ACTION.

HI, I'M HERE WITH FELICIA,

AND WE'RE GOING TO PERFORM THE

AMAZING COLOR-CHANGING CARD

TRICK WITH THIS BLUE-BACKED DECK

OF CARDS.

NOW THE IDEA IS VERY SIMPLE.

I'M JUST GOING TO SPREAD THE

CARDS IN FRONT OF FELICIA AND

ASK HER TO PUSH ANY CARD TOWARDS

THE FRONT OF THE TABLE.

OK, I THINK I'LL GO WITH THIS

CARD RIGHT THERE.

EXCELLENT.

NOW, FELICIA COULD HAVE CHOSEN

ANY OF THE CARDS THAT WERE ON

THE TABLE.

BUT SHE CHOSE THE CARD WHICH IS

NOW FACEDOWN IN FRONT OF HER.

I'M GOING TO ASK HER TO LOOK AT

THE CARD AND TELL US WHICH ONE

IT IS.

I HAVE CHOSEN THE 3 OF

SPADES.

THE THREE OF SPADES, THAT'S

AN EXCELLENT CHOICE.

I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO GIVE ME

THE THREE OF SPADES.

THAT'S GREAT AND WE'LL PLACE IT

BACK INTO THE DECK.

I'LL NOW SPREAD THE DECK FACE-UP

ON THE TABLE, AND WHAT YOU'LL

SEE IS THAT YOUR CARD, THE THREE

OF SPADES, HAS GOT A BLUE BACK.

NOT PARTICULARLY SURPRISING.

WHAT'S SLIGHTLY MORE SURPRISING

IS THAT ALL OF THE OTHERS HAVE

GOT A RED BACK.

AND THAT IS THE AMAZING

COLOR-CHANGING CARD TRICK.

WHAT'S THE POINT OF

THIS TRICK?

ONCE AGAIN, A SEEMINGLY SIMPLE

EXERCISE WITH A DECK OF CARDS

CAN EXPOSE A FLAW IN OUR BRAIN.

THE COLOR-CHANGING CARD TRICK

HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE

PLAYING CARDS AT ALL.

IT'S ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T

NOTICE.

HAVE YOU SPOTTED

ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE

ENVIRONMENT?

MAYBE ONE OR TWO?

BUT DID YOU GET ALL OF THEM?

THERE ARE FOUR KEY CHANGES IN

THE COLOR-CHANGING CARD TRICK.

I CHANGE MY SHIRT AND MY PARTNER

CHANGES HERS, THE TABLECLOTH

CHANGES COLOR, AND THE

BACKGROUND CHANGES AS WELL.

WHY DO WE SO EASILY

MISS THESE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES?

IF WE HAD WONDERFUL MEMORIES,

WE'D BE ABLE TO LOOK AT A SCENE,

THINK, HOLD ON A SECOND, THAT'S

NOT HOW IT WAS AT THE BEGINNING.

BUT OUR MEMORIES ARE NOT THAT

PERFECT, AND SO BECAUSE OF THAT,

YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH THE TRICK.

IT'S ESTIMATED THAT

THE HUMAN BRAIN TAKES IN THE

EQUIVALENT OF 34 GIGABYTES OF

INFORMATION EVERY DAY.

AND THAT'S JUST THE INFORMATION

WE REMEMBER.

NO MATTER HOW COMPLEX OUR BRAINS

ARE, WHEN IT COMES TO MEMORY,

THE DETAILS CAN GET A LITTLE

FUZZY DUE TO THE MASSIVE AMOUNT

OF DATA WE ENCOUNTER.

SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T EVEN MATTER

HOW OFTEN WE ARE EXPOSED TO A

PARTICULAR SITUATION.

THERE'S NO GUARANTEE OUR BRAINS

WILL REMEMBER WHAT WE NEED THEM

TO.

BECAUSE OF THIS SELECTIVE

RETENTION OF DETAIL, ONE OF

AMERICA'S MOST LEGENDARY WHISKEY

MAKERS SUFFERED A DEADLY MEMORY

LAPSE.

IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT

ALCOHOL, YOU PROBABLY KNOW ABOUT

JACK DANIEL'S WHISKEY.

I DRINK JACK DANIEL'S PRODUCT

VERY OFTEN.

I'M A HUGE FAN OF HIS WORK.

ESTABLISHING THIS

SUCCESSFUL SPIRITS BUSINESS CAME

WITH SOME HARD KNOCKS.

ONE DAY IN 1905, JACK DANIEL

WENT TO THE OFFICE EARLY TO GET

SOME DOCUMENTS OUT OF HIS SAFE.

BUT WHEN JACK CAME TO OPEN THE

SAFE, HE'D FORGOTTEN THE

COMBINATION.

DESPITE USING THE

SAFE EVERY DAY, DANIEL STILL

FORGOT THE COMBINATION.

THIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE, SO

HE IS PISSED OFF.

FINALLY, JACK DANIEL GETS SO

FRUSTRATED THAT HE KICKS THE

SAFE.

BUT GOING

TOE-TO-TOE WITH A SAFE MADE OF

STEEL WASN'T HIS BEST BUSINESS

DECISION.

RIGHT IN THAT INSTANT, JACK

DANIEL HAD SHATTERED HIS TOE.

DANIEL HAD OPENED

HIS SAFE COUNTLESS TIMES.

SO HOW COULD HE FORGET THE

COMBINATION ON THIS FATEFUL

OCCASION?

THE REASON MIGHT LIE ON THE

FACE OF AN ORDINARY PENNY.

I'M GOING TO HAND YOU

SOMETHING.

I JUST WANT YOU TO TELL ME WHAT

IT IS.

OK.

ABE, PENNY.

A LITTLE SPLOTCH ON HIS NOSE.

LET'S STOP HERE.

TAKE A VERY GOOD LOOK AT THE

PENNY.

WHAT WAS THAT THAT I JUST

SHOWED YOU?

ORDINARY U.S. PENNY.

DEFINITELY JUST COMPLETELY A

PENNY.

OK.

BUT THIS ISN'T THE

ONLY PENNY JEFF'S GOT UP HIS

SLEEVE.

I WANT YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT

THIS AND TELL ME WHICH OF THESE

PENNIES...

OH (bleep).

IS JUST LIKE THE ONE THAT YOU

JUST LOOKED AT.

OH, MY GOD, I HAVE NO IDEA.

THERE IS ONLY ONE RIGHT

ANSWER, AND ONE OF THEM IS

RIGHT.

ARE YOU ALSO

FEELING STUMPED?

CAN YOU REMEMBER WHAT A REAL

PENNY LOOKS LIKE?

UMM...

YOU JUST LOOKED AT

ONE.

WHICH ONE OF THESE IS THE REAL

PENNY?

LET'S SEE WHO CAN REMEMBER.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WAS ON

IT.

BUT A PENNY IS SOMETHING THAT

YOU'VE SEEN PROBABLY EVERY DAY

THAT YOU'VE BEEN ALIVE.

YES, I--YEAH.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WAS ON IT.

SO I KNOW IT PROBABLY SAYS

"UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

BECAUSE "IN GOD WE TRUST"

DOESN'T LOOK RIGHT.

I'M GONNA GUESS NUMBER 7.

I'M PRETTY SURE I SAW HIM

FACING LEFT.

I'M GOING TO GO WITH 1.

OK.

I'M PRETTY SURE THAT HE'S

FACING THE LEFT.

AND "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA"

MAKES SENSE.

I'D GO WITH 6, IF YOU WANT TO GO

WITH 6.

OK, WE'LL GO 6.

YOU'RE SURE?

SURE.

DID YOU GUESS 7, 1,

OR 6?

OK, I'LL TELL YOU IT'S NOT

NUMBER 7.

DAMN.

IT'S NOT NUMBER 1.

SIX.

OK, IT'S NOT.

OK.

PEOPLE SEE PENNIES ALMOST

EVERY DAY OF THEIR LIVES.

BUT IF YOU ASK THEM WHICH ONE

IS REAL, ALMOST NOBODY GETS IT

RIGHT.

IT'S AMAZING.

SHOULD I KNOW THIS?

I SHOULD.

I SHOULD KNOW THIS.

THEY ALL LOOK SO SIMILAR.

REALLY USE YOUR MENTAL

ENERGIES TO REALLY DRAW ON

EVERYTHING AND GIVE IT ALL

YOU'VE GOT.

I'LL GO WITH 5.

WHY DO YOU THINK IT'S 5?

"IN GOD WE TRUST."

OK.

I'M PRETTY SURE OF THAT.

OK.

HONESTLY, I CAN'T REMEMBER.

I--I'M LOST.

UH, 9?

DO ANY OF THEM AT ALL SEEM

ANY BETTER THAN ANY OTHERS?

NOT REALLY.

I DON'T THINK I'VE REALLY EVER

FOCUSED ON A PENNY THIS HARD.

(laughs)

IF YOU GOT THIS ONE

RIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS.

NO ONE IN OUR EXPERIMENT DID.

OK, YOU KNOW WHAT?

I'M GONNA, I'M--JUST TAKE A

LOOK FOR YOURSELF.

IT'S ACTUALLY NUMBER 4.

SO IT DOES SAY "IN GOD WE

TRUST."

(bleep) YEAH.

OH, MAN!

YEP, IT'S THE SAME.

IT'S AMAZING HOW HARD IT IS

TO IDENTIFY SOMETHING YOU'VE

LOOKED AT NOT ONLY EVERY DAY FOR

YOUR WHOLE LIFE, BUT YOU JUST

LOOKED AT A COUPLE OF MINUTES

AGO.

I KNOW!

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE

YOU SEEN A PENNY IN YOUR

LIFETIME?

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS?

PERHAPS MILLIONS?

WHY ARE WE PRONE TO FORGETTING

THINGS THAT ARE FAMILIAR TO US?

REPETITION AND DOING

SOMETHING MANY, MANY TIMES, IS

NO GUARANTEE THAT WE'LL REMEMBER

WHAT WE'RE SEEING OR DOING.

IN FACT, JUST THE OPPOSITE.

THE MORE REPETITIOUS SOMETHING

IS, THE MORE AUTOMATIC IT IS,

THE LESS CONSCIOUS ATTENTION WE

BESTOW ON IT, THE LESS LIKELY WE

ARE TO REMEMBER IT.

THAT'S WHY YOU CAN

STILL FORGET THE LYRICS TO A

SONG YOU'VE SUNG ALONG WITH

HUNDREDS OF TIMES.

OR FORGET YOUR PASSWORDS TO

WEBSITES YOU SURF EVERY DAY.

BUT JACK DANIEL'S MEMORY PROBLEM

LED TO A BIT OF A BIGGER

PROBLEM.

IT EVENTUALLY CAUSED HIS DEATH.

UNABLE TO OPEN HIS SAFE, JACK

KICKED IT IN FRUSTRATION.

EVENTUALLY HIS TOE BECAME

INFECTED, AND HE BECAME CONSUMED

WITH GANGRENE.

SIX YEARS AFTER HE KICKED THE

SAFE, JACK DANIEL DIED FROM THAT

INJURY.

THIS WAS A MEMORY LAPSE THAT

TURNED OUT TO BE PAINFUL AND

DEADLY.

THAT'S WHY JACK

DANIEL'S WHISKY HAS A

COMMEMORATIVE BLACK LABEL ON THE

BOTTLE.

THANKFULLY, NOT EVERY MEMORY

MISHAP LEADS TO DEATH.

BUT EVERY TIME YOU LOOK AT A

PICTURE, HAVE A CONVERSATION, OR

TRY TO REMEMBER SOMETHING

SPECIFIC LIKE THE COMBINATION TO

A LOCK, YOU'RE MISSING MORE

DETAILS THEN YOU'RE PICKING UP.

IT'S JUST THEY WAY OUR BRAINS

WORK.

IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THE BRAIN

ENCOUNTERS 400 BILLION BITS OF

INFORMATION PER SECOND.

BUT WE'RE ONLY AWARE OF 2,000 OF

THOSE.

THAT MEANS THAT EVERY SECOND OF

OUR LIVES, WE'RE ONLY RETAINING

.5 MILLIONTH OF A PERCENT OF

WHAT WE EXPERIENCE.

DOESN'T SEEM LIKE MUCH, DOES IT?

AND THERE'S NO TELLING JUST WHEN

YOU MIGHT NEED THE INFORMATION

OR HOW IMPORTANT IT COULD BE.

IN THE PAST, SOME

HAVE DESCRIBED MEMORY AS A SORT

OF FILING CABINET FULL OF

INDIVIDUAL MEMORY FOLDERS THAT

CAN STORE INFORMATION.

BUT TODAY, EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT

MEMORY IS FAR MORE COMPLEX AND

ELUSIVE THAN EVER PREVIOUSLY

CONCEIVED, THAT OUR MEMORY IS

NOT ONE SIMPLE SYSTEM, BUT A

COMPLEX, BRAIN-WIDE PROCESS.

MEMORY IS A LOT MORE

SOPHISTICATED THAN YOU MIGHT

IMAGINE.

IT ISN'T SIMPLY A CASE OF

REMEMBERING WHAT'S HAPPENED IN

THE PAST.

WE'VE SEEN HOW OUR

MEMORIES CAN HAVE PROBLEMS

RETAINING THE DETAILS.

BUT THE BRAIN HAS ANOTHER

PROBLEM.

EVERY NOW AND THEN, IT CAN

ACTUALLY CREATE MEMORIES FOR US,

TAKING THE DETAILS OF PEOPLE,

PLACES AND EVENTS AND MAKING

THEM SEEM SO REAL, THEY MUST

HAVE HAPPENED.

OUR BRAIN CAN ACTUALLY CREATE

FICTITIOUS MEMORIES.

AND THIS VERY THING MAY HAVE

HAPPENED TO ONE OF AMERICA'S

GREATEST GENERALS.

GEORGE PATTON IS ONE OF

AMERICA'S MOST BRILLIANT

SOLDIERS.

HE WAS A GENERAL DURING WORLD

WAR II.

GENERAL GEORGE S.

PATTON WAS A HERO OF WORLD WAR

II, DRIVING AMERICAN FORCES

ACROSS EUROPE AND STRIKING FEAR

INTO THE NAZIS.

GENERAL PATTON BELIEVED IN

REINCARNATION.

THE GUY THE NAZIS FEARED HAD ALL

THESE CRAZY MEMORIES OF PAST

LIVES.

PATTON CLAIMED HE

HAD MEMORIES OF FIGHTING IN SOME

OF HISTORY'S MOST FAMOUS WARS,

EVEN UNDER JULIUS CAESAR.

PATTON BELIEVED HE WAS A

MEMBER OF THE 10TH LEGION,

CAESAR'S MOST LOYAL, MOST

TRUSTED, RUTHLESS BUNCH OF

HORSE-RIDING BADASSES.

HE ALSO REMEMBERED SERVING UNDER

NAPOLEON, AND HE HAD A VERY

CLEAR MEMORY OF WATCHING

NAPOLEON RETREAT FROM A HUGE

DEFEAT IN MOSCOW.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE HE KNEW THAT HE

THAT COULD HAVE DONE BETTER WERE

HE IN NAPOLEON'S POSITION.

HE EVEN HAD

MEMORIES FROM PREHISTORIC TIMES.

PATTON ACTUALLY REMEMBERED

HOLDING A SPEAR AND THRUSTING IT

INTO THE FLESH OF A WOOLY

MAMMOTH.

PATTON WAS LIKE THE FORREST GUMP

OF HISTORY.

PATTON BELIEVED THAT HE HAD

THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF MILITARY

EXPERIENCE.

THIS GAVE GENERAL PATTON THE

CONFIDENCE THAT MADE HIM THE

WARRIOR THAT HE WAS.

WE ALL REMEMBER

EVENTS FROM EARLIER IN OUR

LIVES.

THIS IS CALLED RETROSPECTIVE

MEMORY.

BUT MANY PEOPLE CLAIM TO

REMEMBER EVENTS FROM PREVIOUS

LIVES.

WHY IS THAT PEOPLE CAN HAVE A

HARD TIME REMEMBERING THE

COMBINATION TO THEIR SAFE BUT

BELIEVE THEY CAN RECALL EVENTS

FROM A DIFFERENT LIFETIME?

PERHAPS BECAUSE TO US, THE TRUTH

OF A MEMORY JUST LIES IN HOW OUR

BRAIN ORGANIZES THE DETAILS.

IN FACT, IF YOU CHANGE THE

DETAILS OF AN EVENT, IT'S

POSSIBLE TO ACTUALLY GIVE

SOMEONE A FALSE MEMORY OF WHAT

REALLY HAPPENED.

TO SEE HOW SUGGESTIBLE OUR

MEMORIES ARE, SCIENCE JOURNALIST

JEFF WISE IS EXAMINING PEOPLE'S

MEMORIES BY SHOWING THEM A PHOTO

OF A HISTORIC MOMENT.

I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU THIS

PICTURE, AND I WANT YOU TO TELL

ME WHAT YOU REMEMBER.

DO YOU REMEMBER THIS EVENT?

YEAH, THAT'S TIANANMEN

SQUARE.

IS THAT TIANANMEN SQUARE?

TIANANMEN SQUARE.

I REMEMBER THIS, BIG NEWS.

SO THIS TOOK PLACE IN JUNE

1989...

I REMEMBER THAT.

THE HEIGHT OF THE STUDENT

PROTEST MOVEMENT AGAINST THE

COMMUNIST REGIME.

NOW I'VE SEEN IT IN SCHOOL

WHEN I WAS TAKING HISTORY, AND

THEY SHOWED THIS PICTURE.

SO AT THE SAME TIME, NOW IT'S

LIKE AN EVERLASTING IMAGE IN MY

HEAD.

WITH THE HELP OF

THIS PHOTOGRAPH, CAN YOU RECALL

THE DETAILS OF WHAT HAPPENED ON

THIS DAY IN HISTORY?

LET'S SEE WHAT OTHERS REMEMBER.

THERE WAS ONE LONE

INDIVIDUAL, AS YOU CAN SEE

THERE.

THERE WAS A CROWD THERE.

I REMEMBER THE CROWDS WERE ALL

FOR THE PROTESTS AT THAT TIME.

I REMEMBER THE CROWDS

CHANTING HIM ALONG BECAUSE THEY

WERE SUPPORTING HIM FOR WHAT HE

WAS DOING FOR TRYING TO STOP

THEM FROM BRINGING THE TANKS IN.

HE'S STANDING STILL WHOEVER

THAT PERSON IS, BUT I--LIKE I

ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THE--LIKE THE

CRAZINESS, LIKE THE LARGE CROWDS

AND THE MOVEMENT.

BUT THE BIG CROWDS WERE A

MAJOR PART OF THAT EVENT.

THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THAT WERE

THERE, THAT ARE IN THAT PICTURE

WATCHING, ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS

DEMONSTRATOR.

IT WAS A BIG DEAL THAT PEOPLE

WERE PROTESTING TO BEGIN WITH.

IT'S A HELL OF A STATEMENT.

WE COULDN'T HAVE

PUT IT BETTER OURSELVES.

BUT DID IT REALLY HAPPEN THIS

WAY?

TELL ME AGAIN WHAT YOU DO.

I'M A PSYCHOTHERAPIST.

I WORK MOSTLY WITH TRAUMA AND

MEMORY.

LISTEN, HOPEFULLY, THIS WON'T

BE TOO TRAUMATIC FOR YOU, BUT

IN FACT, THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN

DOCTORED.

THIS IS THE UN-DOCTORED IMAGE.

OH, YOU DON'T SEE THE PEOPLE.

IN FACT, THERE WERE

NO CROWDS IN TIANANMEN SQUARE

WHEN THIS PHOTOGRAPH WAS TAKEN.

IT WAS JUST ONE MAN AGAINST THE

TANKS.

WELL, THIS IS THE TRICKY

THING ABOUT MEMORY.

LIKE, NOW I FEEL LIKE, WELL, I

DON'T REMEMBER THAT THERE WERE A

LOT OF PEOPLE IN THAT PICTURE.

I FEEL LIKE THAT WAS AN ALL-

ALONE-PERSON PICTURE.

OH, WOW.

THIS IS THE REAL PHOTOGRAPH.

OH.

WHEN THIS MOMENT TOOK PLACE,

TIANANMEN SQUARE HAD BEEN

CLEARED OF THE CROWDS.

NOW, YOU FELT LIKE YOU

REMEMBERED THAT PREVIOUS IMAGE.

THE PICTURE FELT SO REAL THAT

I ACTUALLY REMEMBERED THE CROWDS

BEING THERE.

IT KIND OF MESSES WITH MY MIND.

(laughs)

DID YOUR MEMORY

TRICK YOU?

DON'T FEEL BAD.

THE MEMORY OF EVERYONE WE TESTED

WAS TRICKED AS WELL.

BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST

FAMOUS IMAGES OF THE 20TH

CENTURY.

YOU CAN SEE HOW EASY IT IS TO

FORGET THE DETAILS...

AND HOW SMALL CHANGES TO THE

PHOTO CAN ALTER PEOPLE'S

MEMORIES.

HOW MANY OF US HAVE ALTERED

MEMORIES OF EVENTS?

CHANCES ARE, ALL OF US.

SO YOU CAN INTRODUCE A

FALSE--NOT ONLY A FALSE IMAGE

OF A HISTORICAL EVENT BUT A

FALSE UNDERSTANDING.

WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT

THE RELIABILITY OF MEMORY?

IT AIN'T!

(both laugh)

LIKE THESE

PARTICIPANTS, GENERAL PATTON MAY

HAVE ALSO HAD ALTERED OR

MODIFIED MEMORIES OF FAMOUS PAST

EVENTS.

WHILE HIS WAS A MORE EXTREME

CASE, HE MAY HAVE HAD WHAT IS

SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS

SPONTANEOUS RECALL OR RESIDUE

MEMORY.

HE STUDIED HISTORIC BATTLES SO

CLOSELY AND ACCUMULATED SUCH

INCREDIBLE DETAILS ON THEM THAT

IT'S POSSIBLE HE BEGAN TO

BELIEVE HE TOOK PART IN THEM.

PATTON WASN'T PULLING THESE

MEMORIES OUT OF NOWHERE.

HE HAD TRAINING AT WEST POINT.

HE HAD TRAINING ON THE

BATTLEFIELD.

HE STUDIED THESE BATTLES.

HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS TALKING

ABOUT.

I THINK PATTON STUDIED THESE

BATTLES SO CLOSELY THAT THEY

BECAME PART OF HIS LIFE.

OUR BRAINS AND OUR

MEMORIES ARE OPEN TO

MANIPULATION.

AND WHEN FILLED WITH DETAILS OF

A PARTICULAR EVENT, IT'S NOT

DIFFICULT FOR OUR BRAINS TO

START TO SEE THAT EVENT AS IF WE

WERE THERE, AS IF WE ARE

EXPERIENCING SPONTANEOUS RECALL,

WHETHER WE WERE THERE OR NOT.

THE MEMORIES STORED

IN YOUR BRAIN CAN BE

CONTAMINATED BY NEW INFORMATION.

YOUR MEMORIES CAN BE

MANIPULATED, AND THROUGH NO

FAULT OF YOUR OWN, YOU CAN GET

THE DETAILS OF ANY EVENT

CONFUSED.

THE TRUTH IS, CONFUSING MEMORIES

AND GETTING THE FACTS WRONG IS

JUST A PART OF OUR BLEEPED-UP

BRAIN.

BUT WHY DO WE OFTEN HAVE SO MUCH

CONFIDENCE IN MEMORIES THAT ARE

SIMPLY NOT TRUE?

GET READY FOR AN EXPERIMENT THAT

WILL TEST YOUR SHORT-TERM

MEMORY.

TAKE A LOOK AT THIS BOARD.

IT CONTAINS 15 WORDS.

TRY TO COMMIT AS MANY OF THESE

WORDS TO YOUR MEMORY AS YOU

CAN.

WE'LL GIVE YOU, AND THESE

PARTICIPANTS, TEN SECONDS TO DO

SO.

GOT IT?

KEEP A HOLD OF THOSE THOUGHTS

FOR THE NEXT FEW MINUTES AND

LET'S SEE WHAT YOUR ABILITY TO

REMEMBER THESE WORDS CAN REVEAL

ABOUT WHY SOME CONSPIRACY

THEORISTS SHOCKINGLY BELIEVE

9/11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB.

MOST OF US REMEMBER WHERE WE

WERE WHEN 9/11 HAPPENED.

IT'S A DAY WE ARE LIKELY TO

REMEMBER FOR THE REST OF OUR

LIVES.

AND MOST OF US KNOW WHERE

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH WAS

TOO.

BUSH IS IN FRONT OF THE

CLASSROOM READING A CHILDREN'S

BOOK, AND HIS CHIEF OF STAFF

CAME IN AND TOLD HIM ABOUT THE

ATTACKS.

IT WAS CAPTURED ON VIDEO.

SOON, THE AIRWAVES

WERE FLOODED WITH LIVE IMAGES OF

THE SECOND PLANE HITTING THE

TOWERS.

BUT THREE MONTHS LATER,

PRESIDENT BUSH REMEMBERED THIS

TRAGIC EVENT IN A DIFFERENT

LIGHT.

AND I SAW AN AIRPLANE HIT THE

TOWER.

BUSH SAID THAT HE REMEMBERED

BEING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

WAITING TO GO IN TO GO TALK TO

THE KIDS, AND HE SAW THE FIRST

PLANE HIT THE TWIN TOWERS.

BUT FOOTAGE OF THE

FIRST PLANE'S IMPACT DID NOT AIR

LIVE AND WAS ONLY BROADCAST ON

TELEVISION THE FOLLOWING DAY.

AND PRESIDENT BUSH WAS NOT ALONE

IN REMEMBERING THIS EVENT

INACCURATELY.

A RECENT STUDY INDICATED 73% OF

TEST SUBJECTS ALSO WRONGLY

REMEMBERED SEEING THE FIRST

PLANE HIT THE TOWER LIVE.

DESPITE 9/11 BEING ONE OF THE

MOST WELL-DOCUMENTED DAYS IN

HUMAN HISTORY, MOST OF US DON'T

REMEMBER IT ACCURATELY.

NONETHELESS, BUSH'S INNOCENT

MEMORY MISTAKE SET CONSPIRACY

THEORISTS IN MOTION.

THEY BELIEVED THAT BUSH HAD

BEEN WATCHING THAT ATTACKS IN

REAL TIME SOMEWHERE IN SOME

SECRET LOCATION.

SO TO THEM, IT ALL MADE SENSE.

LIKE, "OH MY GOD," YOU KNOW,

"BUSH SAID HE SAW THE FIRST

THING, NO ONE ELSE SAW IT, SO HE

MUST HAVE SEEN IT, YOU KNOW,

WHILE HE WAS WATCHING HIS EVIL

PLAN UNFOLD."

THOUGH CONSPIRACY

THEORISTS SAW BUSH'S MEMORY AS

PROOF THAT 9/11 WAS AN INSIDE

JOB, THE TRUTH IS MUCH SIMPLER.

THE PRESIDENT MADE A MISTAKE

BECAUSE OUR MEMORIES JUST AREN'T

THAT GOOD.

IN FACT, IT'S ESTIMATED BY MOST

EXPERTS THAT OUR SHORT-TERM

MEMORIES CAN HOLD BETWEEN 4 AND

7 DETAILS IN OUR BRAIN AT ANY

ONE MOMENT.

WHEN WE START TO EXCEED THAT

NUMBER, WE TEND TO GET THINGS

WRONG.

DON'T BELIEVE US?

TO PROVE IT, LET'S RETURN TO

RICHARD WISEMAN'S MEMORY TEST.

YOU'VE HAD A FEW MINUTES TO PUT

THESE 15 WORDS TO MEMORY.

LET'S SEE WHICH OF THEM YOU

ACTUALLY REMEMBER.

SO YOU HAD SOME TIME TO

REMEMBER THE WORDS.

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU SOME WORDS

ON HERE, AND FOR EACH ONE, I'D

LIKE YOU TO TELL ME WHETHER YOU

THINK IT WAS ON THE BOARD OR

NOT.

SO THE FIRST WORD IS "WAKE."

DO YOU REMEMBER THE

WORD "WAKE"?

YES.

"WAKE," YES, I BELIEVE THAT

WAS ON THE BOARD.

AND HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU

ABOUT THAT FROM 1 TO 10, WHERE 1

IS NOT AT ALL CONFIDENT AND 10

IS VERY CONFIDENT.

5.

VERY GOOD.

THE NEXT ONE WAS "DROWSY."

DO YOU REMEMBER

"DROWSY"?

NO.

NO, I'M NOT CERTAIN ABOUT

"DROWSY."

HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU?

I WOULD SAY ABOUT A 4.

8.

5.

AND HERE'S THE LAST

WORD IN OUR LITTLE MEMORY TEST.

AND "SLEEP."

DO YOU RECALL

"SLEEP"?

YES.

"SLEEP" WAS DEFINITELY ON THE

BOARD.

YES.

AND HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU

ABOUT THAT?

10.

8.

10.

VERY CONFIDENT.

IN FACT, OF ALL THE WORDS,

THAT'S THE ONE THAT YOU'RE MOST

CONFIDENT.

YES.

AND HOW CONFIDENT

ARE YOU THAT "SLEEP" WAS ON THE

BOARD?

IF YOU AGREE WITH THESE

PARTICIPANTS, YOU'RE IN FOR A

RUDE AWAKENING.

SHOULD WE HAVE A LOOK?

YES.

(laughs)

OH, GOSH.

(laughs)

NO "SLEEP."

NO "SLEEP" AT ALL.

THE "SLEEP" EXISTS ONLY IN YOUR

MIND.

OH, NO.

NO "SLEEP."

BUMMER.

I THOUGHT IT WAS WHERE

"DREAM" WAS.

I JUST HAD THAT OVERALL THEME

IN MY HEAD, I GUESS--SLEEP.

WITH THE FALSE-MEMORY TEST,

YOU FEEL AS IF YOUR BRAIN HAS

BETRAYED YOU.

YOU ENDED UP WITH A FALSE MEMORY

THINKING THAT YOU'D SEEN A WORD

YOU HADN'T.

SO HOW'S IT FEEL TO HAVE A FALSE

MEMORY IMPLANTED INTO YOUR

BRAIN?

THERE MUST BE OTHER THINGS

THAT PEOPLE HAVE PLANTED INTO

MY HEAD.

9 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE BELIEVE

THE WORD "SLEEP" WAS ON THIS

BOARD WHEN IT ABSOLUTELY WASN'T.

AND MOST OF THEM WERE VERY, VERY

CONFIDENT.

SO IN JUST A FEW MOMENTS, WE

MANAGED TO CREATE A FALSE

MEMORY.

WHEN THERE IS TOO

MUCH INFORMATION TO HOLD ONTO IN

OUR SHORT-TERM MEMORY, WE START

TO GET THINGS CONFUSED.

AND THIS SAME PREMISE MAY BE WHY

PRESIDENT BUSH AND MANY OTHERS

FALSELY REMEMBER SEEING THE

FIRST PLANE HIT THE WORLD TRADE

CENTER ON THAT EMOTIONAL DAY ON

LIVE TV EVEN THOUGH THAT WOULD

HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE.

BUSH HAD A FALSE MEMORY OF

WHAT HAPPENED ON 9/11, AND THIS

IS NOT UNUSUAL.

IT HAPPENS TO PEOPLE ALL THE

TIME.

THE THING THAT MAKES THIS

DIFFERENT IS THAT HE WAS

PRESIDENT AT THE TIME, AND HIS

COMMENTS FUELED A CONSPIRACY

THEORY.

AND I SAW AN AIRPLANE HIT

THE TOWER.

FALSE MEMORIES LIKE

THE ONE EXPERIENCED BY PRESIDENT

BUSH AFFECT PEOPLE PARTICULARLY

DURING EMOTIONAL EVENTS, LIKE

THE SPACE SHUTTLE EXPLOSION OF

1986 OR THE ASSASSINATION OF

PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY.

IN THE WAKE OF EACH OF THESE

EVENTS, COUNTLESS PEOPLE HAD

FALSE MEMORIES OF THE EVENTS

PLANTED INTO THEIR BRAINS.

BUT THE CERTAINTY OF OUR

RECOLLECTIONS DOES NOT MEAN

WE'VE GOTTEN THE DETAILS RIGHT.

I COULD HAVE SWORN "SLEEP"

WAS ON THERE.

BUMMER.

WE'VE SEEN HOW

CONFIDENCE IN OUR MEMORIES IS NO

GUARANTEE THAT THEY'RE RIGHT

AND THAT OUR MEMORY IS HIGHLY

MALLEABLE.

BUT FOR THOSE MEMORIES AND FACTS

THAT DO STICK IN OUR BLEEPED-UP

BRAIN, HOW DO WE KNOW IF THEY'RE

RIGHT?

SOMETIMES YOU DON'T.

MOST OF US PROBABLY REMEMBER

HEARING ABOUT LIZZIE BORDEN, THE

WOMAN ASSOCIATED WITH ONE OF THE

MOST NOTORIOUS MURDERS IN

AMERICAN HISTORY.

DO YOU REMEMBER IF SHE WAS

GUILTY OF THAT CRIME?

LET'S SEE IF THIS NURSERY RHYME

ABOUT THE CASE JOGS YOUR MEMORY.

LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE...

AND GAVE HER MOTHER 40

WHACKS...

AND WHEN SHE SAW WHAT SHE HAD

DONE...

SHE GAVE HER FATHER 41.

LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE...

AND GAVE HER MOTHER 40

WHACKS...

WHEN SHE SAW WHAT SHE HAD

DONE...

SHE GAVE HER FATHER 41.

DID YOU REMEMBER

THIS NURSERY RHYME?

IF YOU DIDN'T KNOW IT ALREADY,

COULD YOU EASILY KEEP IT IN YOUR

MEMORY?

IF SO, PAY ATTENTION, BECAUSE IT

CAN REVEAL A SINISTER TRUTH

ABOUT THE ACTUAL HISTORY OF

LIZZIE BORDEN.

EVERY CHILD HAS HEARD THAT

TERRIFYING TALE OF LIZZIE

BORDEN.

ON AUGUST 4TH,

1892, LIZZIE BORDON EMERGED FROM

HER HOME SCREAMING HER FAMILY

HAD BEEN MURDERED.

WHAT THE POLICE FOUND WAS

SHOCKING.

MR. BORDEN WAS FOUND ON THE

SOFA FACE-DOWN COVERED IN BLOOD.

MRS. BORDEN WAS UPSTAIRS, LYING

IN A POOL OF BLOOD AS WELL.

BORDEN WAS PROMPTLY

CHARGED WITH MURDER.

THE GRUESOME LEGEND OF THE CRIME

HAS BEEN FOREVER PRESERVED IN

THAT CATCHY RHYME.

BUT HERE'S A QUESTION--WAS

LIZZIE BORDEN ACTUALLY GUILTY?

THE RHYME LEAVES ABSOLUTELY

ZERO DOUBT ABOUT LIZZIE BORDEN'S

GUILT, BUT HERE IS THE REALLY

SURPRISING FACT--

THE JURY FOUND HER NOT GUILTY.

IN FACT, EVERY

DETAIL IN THE RHYME IS WRONG.

THE BORDENS WERE FOUND WITH 29

STAB WOUNDS IN ALL, NOT 81.

DESPITE LIZZIE'S ACQUITTAL, SHE

IS REMEMBERED AS A BRUTAL

MURDERER THANKS IN SMALL PART

TO A CHILDREN'S RHYME.

BUT IT WOULD NOT BE AS CATCHY

A POEM IF IT WERE GETTING THE

FACTS RIGHT.

WHY DOES THIS

INFECTIOUS NURSERY RHYME COMPEL

US TO BELIEVE SOMETHING THAT'S

COMPLETELY UNTRUE?

IF A STORY SEEMS FAMILIAR, WE

TEND TO OVERESTIMATE ITS TRUTH.

THIS IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL

PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE ILLUSION

OF TRUTH EFFECT.

THE MORE OFTEN YOU HEAR AN

ASSERTION MADE, THE MORE LIKELY

YOU ARE TO BELIEVE IT,

REGARDLESS OF IT'S OBJECTIVE

TRUTH.

THE REPETITION OF

A MESSAGE CAN DRILL THE MEMORY

INTO OUR HEAD AND REINFORCE A

FALSE SENSE OF TRUTH.

THIS IS WHY CONSTANT POLITICAL

PROPAGANDA CAN BE SO EFFECTIVE.

AND WHY ADVERTISING COMPANIES

WANT YOU TO SEE THE SAME

COMMERCIAL OVER AND OVER AGAIN,

TO REINFORCE THE MESSAGE IN YOUR

MEMORY.

AND THIS IS PARTLY WHY WE

REMEMBER THE WRONG STORY WITH

LIZZIE BORDEN.

AND THAT'S NOT THE ONLY WAY OUR

MEMORY IMPOSES ITSELF OVER THE

DETAILS.

TO DEMONSTRATE, SCIENCE

JOURNALIST JESS WISE HAS AN

INTRIGUING PICTURE FOR YOU

TO PIECE TOGETHER.

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THIS PIXILATED

IMAGE?

I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A HINT.

IT'S A FAMOUS WORK OF ART.

I'M NOT GOOD IN ART.

BELIEVE ME, YOU'VE SEEN THIS.

TRY SQUINTING.

RECOGNIZE IT NOW?

MONA LISA?

OHH!

MONA LISA!

THIS IS IN FACT...

THE MONA LISA.

HEY!

THIS OBVIOUSLY IS ONE OF THE

MOST FAMOUS PIECES OF ART, AND

YOUR BRAIN IS SO FAMILIAR WITH

IT, THAT LOOKING AT THIS HANDFUL

OF PIXELS, IT'S ABLE TO EXTRACT

THAT COMPLICATED PICTURE.

DECIPHERING THE BIG

PICTURE IS WHAT OUR MEMORY DOES

BEST.

BUT THERE'S A TWISHERE.

YOU JUST LOOKED AT THE FULL-

RESOLUTION IMAGE OF THE MONA

LISA.

DO YOU REMEMBER SEEING A UFO?

(laughs)

NO!

NO.

ALIENS?

NO, I DIDN'T SEE ANY UFO IN

THERE ANYWHERE.

DO YOU REMEMBER

SEEING A UFO?

WHEN YOU ASK PEOPLE, "DID YOU

SEE THE UFO IN THE MONA LISA?"

THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE

TALKING ABOUT.

SURELY YOU'D

REMEMBER SEEING A UFO IN THIS

FAMOUS PAINTING.

LET'S TAKE ANOTHER LOOK.

OH, MY GOD, THERE IS A UFO IN

THERE!

THAT'S RIGHT.

THAT'S IN THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL

PAINTING?

THAT'S SO FUNNY!

THAT'S GREAT!

WHY DO YOU THINK YOU DIDN'T

NOTICE THIS?

I DON'T KNOW, I WAS SO

FOCUSED ON HER FACE AND THINKING

ABOUT THE PIXELS.

AND SOMETIMES YOU JUST SEE

WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE.

DID YOU NOTICE

ANYTHING ELSE WEIRD?

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE

UNUSUAL ABOUT THIS VERSION OF

THE MONA LISA?

SO WHAT'S BEHIND HER

SHOULDER THERE?

ISN'T IT LIKE A DINOSAUR OR

SOMETHING?

LIKE A LOCH NESS MONSTER?

IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY OVER

HERE YOU'LL SEE A FAINT IMAGE OF

THE LOCH NESS MONSTER.

OH! (laughs)

YEAH, IT DOES.

WOW. (laughs)

SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT YOU

MIGHT EXPECT WOULD STAND OUT

LIKE A SORE THUMB.

TO ME, IT'S WEIRD BECAUSE I

WOULD NEVER THINK, YOU KNOW,

THAT IT WOULD BE UFOS AND THE

LOCH NESS MONSTER RIGHT NEXT TO

THE MONA LISA.

ONCE OUR BRAIN

CONNECTS TO THE MEMORY OF THE

MONA LISA, ITS QUEST FOR

COMPREHENSION STOPS.

IT'S VERY EASY FOR THE BRAIN

TO MISS THE DETAILS.

WHY?

BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T EXPECTING

TO SEE THE UFO OR THE LOCH NESS

MONSTER, AND THEY DIDN'T EXPECT

TO SEE IT AND SO THEY DIDN'T SEE

IT.

IT'S ABSOLUTELY CRAZY.

YOU KNOW WHAT?

I GUESS THE DETAILS ARE JUST

INVISIBLE TO ME.

DO YOU THINK THIS MAKES YOU

DISTRUST YOUR ABILITY TO

REMEMBER DETAILS?

AT OUR AGE?

(laughs)

THOUGH OUR BRAINS

GLOSS OVER THE DETAILS TO GRASP

THE BIG PICTURE, THIS PROCESS

REVEALS ONE IMPORTANT PURPOSE OF

HUMAN MEMORY.

WHAT SEEMS LIKE A MISTAKE

ACTUALLY POINTS OUT THE WAYS OUR

BRAINS WORK.

IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY JUST

BECAUSE EVOLUTION DID A

REALLY CRAPPY JOB.

OUR BRAINS ARE DESIGNED TO BE

EFFICIENT.

OUR BRAINS OPERATE ON ONLY ABOUT

15 WATTS OF POWER.

WE HAVE TO FOCUS OUR ATTENTION

ON WHAT MATTERS TO US.

WERE YOU ABLE TO

SEE PAST YOUR MEMORY'S MANY

MISTAKES?

DID YOU RECALL THE WRONG PENNY?

OR FAIL TO REMEMBER THE CHANGES

DURING RICHARD WISEMAN'S CARD

TRICKS?

DID YOU ALSO EXPERIENCE

MEMORY CONTAMINATION?

AND I SAW AN AIRPLANE HIT THE

TOWER.

IF SO, JUST KEEP

THIS IN MIND...

WHEN YOU FALL VICTIM TO AN

ILLUSION, SOMETIMES IT FEELS

LIKE YOUR BRAIN HAS BETRAYED

YOU, LIKE YOU FAILED TO DO

SOMETHING THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN

OBVIOUS.

THESE ARE NOT YOUR CARDS.

AH, MAN!

IT'S PART OF BEING HUMAN.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TRUST

ANYMORE!

FROM HISTORY'S MOST

LEGENDARY FIGURES TO ITS

STRANGEST CONSPIRACIES, THERE

ARE COUNTLESS WAYS HUMAN MEMORY

CAN PLAY TRICKS ON US BECAUSE

WHAT YOU REMEMBER MIGHT JUST BE

ANOTHER MISSTEP MADE BY YOUR

BLEEPED-UP BRAIN.