Back in 2022, shortly after my investigative trip to Gibraltar, something happened that genuinely meant a lot to me.
Moneybags73, also known as Evan Matraia, one of the original Mandela Effect researchers from the early days of the phenomenon going viral, released a YouTube video covering my trip to Gibraltar. In that same video, he also shared his own memory of Gibraltar being an island, not a peninsula attached to Spain.
For anyone familiar with the Mandela Effect community, that detail matters.
Moneybags73 isn’t just another YouTube creator — he’s considered an OG researcher, someone whose observations and memories carry real weight because of the depth and consistency of his work over the years. Many people in the community look up to him, and rightfully so.
The fact that he independently remembers Gibraltar as an island, just as many others do, adds another important data point to this ongoing mystery.
Our History Goes Back to the Beginning
Moneybags73 and I go back to the very early days — around 2016 — when only a handful of YouTube channels were openly discussing the Mandela Effect and what appeared to be changes in reality.
At that time, it wasn’t mainstream.
It wasn’t trendy.
And it certainly wasn’t easy to talk about publicly.
In fact, Moneybags73 is the reason I first became aware of the Mandela Effect in March of 2016. His videos were among the first that made me stop and question what I thought I knew about reality, memory, and history.
As of writing this post, we’re approaching the 10-year anniversary of that moment.
Hard to believe.
Reality Shifter, Disappearing, and Coming Back
My original YouTube channel was called Reality Shifter, which I ultimately deleted in 2019. After that, I disappeared for a while — not because the phenomenon stopped, but because I needed time to process what I was experiencing and learning.
I returned in 2022 with a renewed determination to share my research, especially after conducting boots-on-the-ground investigative work in Gibraltar. Seeing the location firsthand only deepened the mystery for me and strengthened my resolve to document it properly.
That’s why it was especially meaningful when Moneybags73 not only remembered who I was, but also took the time to make a video covering my Gibraltar investigation.
Moneybags73’s Video on My Gibraltar Trip
Giving Credit Where It’s Due
Moneybags73 deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the research he’s done throughout the years. He was there before the algorithms, before mass awareness, and before the term “Mandela Effect” became widely recognized.
While he doesn’t post as frequently as he once did, it’s always refreshing to see him upload a new video. His consistency, integrity, and long-term perspective are rare — especially in a space where many voices come and go.
Featured in The Lost Island of Gibraltar
To close out this post, I want to encourage readers to also check out Moneybags73’s appearance in the official trailer for The Lost Island of Gibraltar.
His inclusion is fitting — not just because of his memories, but because of his role in the history of this phenomenon itself.
