The Simpsons has been a popular animated tv show on Fox Broadcasting Company since 1989, so popular that it has gone on to have two movies. The episodes are based on satirical comedy, and many episodes include real-life people as characters or real-life situations that are incorporated into the plot. However, many of the situations depicted in the comedy have taken place just years after the episodes have aired. The show has been running for 30 years so it is merely a coincidence if a plot line does line up with the real world; however, some of the coincidences have been eerily close.
One of the most popular Simpsons predictions has been the election of President Trump. With a campaign slogan of “America You Can Be My Ex-Wife!” writers of the episode put a satirical spin on what would happen if Donald Trump became president. The episode aired in 2000 and was called “Bart to the Future,” with the story taking place in 2030 where Lisa Simpson, Homer and Marge Simpson’s daughter, is president. She is told she will need to help the economy after quite a “budget crunch from President Trump,” implying that he overspent the nation’s money. This episode predicted the election of our current president 16 years before it even happened.
Another prediction was the discovery of the Higgs Boson Particle. The Higgs Boson particle also known as the “God Particle,” is a particle responsible for all physical forces. In a 1998 episode called “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace,” Homer Simpson can be seen working out a complicated equation on a blackboard. This season eight episode predicted the proof of a Higgs Boson particle. The equation was first predicted in 1964 by Professor Peter Higgs but wasn’t until 2013 that scientists discovered proof of the particle in a 10.4-billion-dollar experiment.
The outbreak of the Ebola Virus was predicted in an episode entitled “Lisa’s Sax” which aired 17 years before the infamous outbreak in 2014. In the 1997 episode, Marge Simpson can be seen holding a book entitled “Curious George and the Ebola Virus.” Ebola was discovered in 1976 but it wasn’t at the top of the news in the 1990s.
The predictions didn’t stop at the show; the widely popular movie also predicted a major security breach. The Simpsons Movie shows Lisa and Marge Simpson in the National Security building, where the National Security Agency workers are listening to other people’s private conversations on the phone. The pair end up blowing the NSA’s cover by pulling the building alarm. It wasn’t until six years later that Edward Snowden exposed the NSA.
Last but not least, the haunting events of Sept. 11, 2001 made an appearance on the show. In “The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson,” there was a moment that alluded to the attacks on the World Trade Center, as stated in The New York Times. In one of the scenes, there is a brochure that says “New York at $9 a day” with the trade center in the back which creates the illusion of 9/11. Along with this, the episode consists of “an entire act of World Trade Center jokes (The New York Times).”
Not often do we come across times when the future seemed to be foretold, much less by an American sitcom. Is it merely a coincidence, or something more? All of the times the Simpson’s episodes seem to foretell an event is when we least expect it. This poses the chilling question: could it be possible the Simpson’s predicts the future?
Great article, Amelia!
W article very informative and well written.
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Great article! What a talented artist depicted beautifully by a wonderful journalist!