What Is The '2006 Volleyball Incident' And Is It Real? The Viral Conspiracy Theory Explained

A video by YouTuber Chilling Scares has given a new wave of virality to an obscure, alleged tragedy, known online as the "2006 volleyball incident."

The rumored incident is said by conspiracy theorists to be part of a government cover-up, with alleged photos of the event only recently coming to light online.

But what is the "2006 volleyball incident," what does the Mandela Effect have to do with it and is there any truth to the rumors surrounding it? Here's what we know.

What Is The 2006 Volleyball Incident?

Back in 2017, an anonymous user of 4chan's /pol/ board posted a Galaxy Brain tier list meme in a post titled, "How deep are you into conspiracies?" On the deepest tier of the list is the ominous phrase, "2006 volleyball incident." Other /pol/ users were eager to learn more about the incident.

Later that day, another anonymous user, possibly the original poster, elaborated on the incident, writing that the incident was either a shooting or an explosion at a school during a volleyball game. They write that they remember hearing about the incident after it happened and that it took 17-24 lives, but somehow, there is no evidence that it ever existed online.

The alleged incident spread around the internet for the next few years. Then, in 2024, YouTuber SomeOrdinaryGamers posted a video in which he explores the dark web. At one point in the video, he stumbles across what is alleged to be photos of the incident.

This video helped renew interest in the rumored incident and paved the way for YouTuber Chilling Scares' video a few months later. But can we actually confirm that the 2006 volleyball incident happened?

Is The 2006 Volleyball Incident Real?

Despite the fact that the rumors have spread online for over half a decade, there is still no solid evidence to suggest the allegations are true. No news reports or interviews from those affected by the supposed tragedy have surfaced and nobody has been able to find any new, convincing leads on the story.

The series of alleged photographs that SomeOrdinaryGamers came across have been posted to Imgur, however, their veracity has been questioned. The photos purportedly use a VHS filter that some claim is fake, with one 4chan user even replicating it on another image. Beyond that, some claim an incident of this magnitude would be too difficult to cover up completely.

Some people interested in the incident suggest that the rumor could be an example of the Mandela Effect at play. The Mandela Effect describes the phenomenon of misremembering an event that never actually happened. One prime example is people remembering the Fruit of the Loom logo including a cornucopia, which it never did.

People have pointed to other potential incidents that some could be mistaking for the 2006 volleyball incident, such as a 2014 incident that took place at a volleyball game in Afghanistan. So, unless some concrete proof about the incident comes out, we can safely assume that it's a likely hoax.

For the full history of the 2006 Volleyball Incident, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.