Visual IllusionsThe Margaret Thatcher IllusionThis illusion was originally presented in Thompson, P. (1980) "Margaret Thatcher: a new illusion." Perception. 9(4):483-4. It's since come to be known as the Margaret Thatcher Illusion, so it seemed appropriate to demonstrate it in the US with George W. Bush. Look at the two pictures below. Although they may look a bit different, neither should seem too odd. Click on the picture to flip it vertically so you can see the faces right side up...
Most people are quite suprised by the pictures when they see them right side up. The illusion illustrates the fact that rightside-up and upside-down faces are processed differently, which some people take as evidence that parts of our brain are specialized for (normal, rightside-up) face perception. Here's another one I did on myself, which appeared in the February 2002 issue of Discover Magazine (pg. 88): 
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