The Simpsons have been on the air since 1989; with 28 seasons and counting it is unquestionably the longest running television phenomenon. This critically acclaimed cartoon is broadly renowned as one of the paramount television shows of all time because of its satire of everything from pop culture to politics to even the All American dream.
Throughout more than 600 episodes, Matt Groening and his team of artistic masterminds have been on top of the country’s cultural pulse, they have managed to predict many historically significant events.
Here are 20 times that The Simpsons accurately predicted the future:
Rigged Voting Machines
Episode: “Treehouse of Horror XIX” S20E4
In the opening scene of “Treehouse of Horror XIX”, Homer is attempting to vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election, but the machine selects John McCain. When Homer tries to report the problem, the machine kills him.
According to Tech Crunch, in 2012 there were faulty machines that in fact changed many votes from Barack Obama to Mitt Romney.
The First Generation iPod
Episode: “Bart After Dark” S08E5
In the 1996 “Bart After Dark” episode, there is a gated burlesque house in Springfeld. When the angry mob approaches the house, they have to hit the intercom. The interesting thing is that the intercom looks exactly like the first generation iPod, which was released in 2001. So even though the function is different it’s a very close prediction.
The Creation of Autocorrect
Episode: “Lisa On Ice” S06E8
In “Lisa On Ice” Dolph uses a personal digital assistant, to note “Beat up Martin” only for it to be distorted to “Eat up Martha.” This gag in the 1994 episode actually inspired the real autocorrect that was later available on Apple devices.
Perhaps this was not a true prediction, yet it was the beginning of a very frustrating future for all smartphone users
The Censorships of Michelangelo’s David
Episode: “Itchy and Scratchy and Marge” S02E9
In 1990’s “Itchy and Scratchy and Marge” a replica of Michelangelo’s David is brought to Springfield. Some of the citizens protested the statute and wanted it to be covered up. This actually happened in 2016 when a copy of the statue was brought to Saint Petersburg, Russia and campaigners sought to put clothes on the statue.
The Invention of Baby Translators
Episode: “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?” S03E24
In “Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?” we witness Herb ponder with the idea of creating a baby translator after seeing a mother struggling with her baby. He then goes on to invent one in the 1992 episode.
In 2013, the app, Cry Translator was released. The app tells you what your baby wants based on their cry.
Video Chat
Episode: “Lisa’s Wedding” S06E19
In “Lisa’s Wedding” we see Lisa chatting with her mother on a rotary videophone. This version is actually quite comparable to the earlier versions of videophones, which had keypads. Now, with things like FaceTime, we are able to see and talk to each other through our cell phones.
The Three-Eyed Fish
Episode: “Two Cars In Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” S02E4
Similar to many episodes, The Simpsons discussed pollution. In the 1990’s “Two Cars In Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish” we see Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a polluted local river.
In 2011, this actually occurred in Argentina where fishermen reeled in a mutated three-eyed fish.
The Inauguration of President Trump
Episode: “Bart To The Future” S11E17
The most famous prediction from the show was that Donald Trump would become president one day. This happened in the episode “Bart to the Future,” which aired in 2000. However, the story takes place in 2030. In the episode, Lisa actually becomes president, but she does have the line, “As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump.”
Bengt R Holmstrom Wins A Nobel Prize
Episode: “Elementary School Musical” S12E13
In 2010’s “Elementary School Musical” Krusty acquires a Nobel Peace Prize. In the episode, the characters made a betting pool over who would win the award. Bengt R. Holmstrom was predicted by Millhouse, who really did win the prize for Economics in 2016 with Oliver Hart.
The FIFA Scandal and Germany’s Win
Episode: “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee” S25E17
In “You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee” Homer is solicited to be a referee by the world football federation. He ends up getting arrested and Germany wins the tournament in the 2014 episode.
In 2015 two FIFA presidents were accused of widespread corruption and banned from football-related activities for eight years, according to BBC. There were also 14 FIFA officials who were indicted for corruption. In addition, Germany won the World Cup.
The Creation of Guitar Hero
Episode: “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation” S14E2
In “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation” Homer goes to a rock ‘n’ roll fantasy camp that is hosted by the Rolling Stones. By the end of the episode, the band gives Homer a jacket that said “Guitar Hero.” This is pretty weird since the 2002 episode seems to be referring to the popular video game, which wasn’t released until 2005.
Siegfried& Roy’s Tiger Attack
Episode: “Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling” S05E10
In the 1993 episode, “Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling,” gambling is legalized in Springfield. The town fundamentally becomes Las Vegas and two entertainers have an act with white tigers. One of them gets attacked by the tiger during their act.
Sadly, this episode parallels what happened to Roy of Siegfried and Roy in 2003. The tiger lunged at Roy’s neck during the show and dragged him off stage. He was in critical condition after the attack but survived. However, he never regained full use of his left side.
Greece’s Ever Depleting Economy
Episode: “Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson” S23E10
In 2013, the episode, “Politically Inept, With Homer Simpson” there is a small scene where Homer is on a news show. In the scene, the ticker reads, “Europe puts Greece on eBay.” Of course, this didn’t exactly happen, but later on, Greece did have a fraught relationship with Europe. This conflict really started making headlines in 2015 and still continues today.
The Introduction of Robotic Librarians
Episode: “Lisa’s Wedding” S06E19
Another prediction in “Lisa’s Wedding” is that there will be robotic librarians in 2010. Of course, The Simpsons’ robot was in a humanoid form, but the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library in Chicago is managed by a robotic system. Requested books get pulled up by an automated retrieval system that keeps track of books by their barcodes.
The Beatles Respond To Fan Mail Years Later
Episode: “Brush with Greatness” S02E18
In the 1991 episode, “Brush with Greatness” Marge paints a portrait of Ringo Starr and sends it to him. We see years later that he responds because he’s determined to write back every single fan. In real life this actually happened, but with Sir Paul McCartney.
Two women recorded a message on a reel-to-reel tape in 1963 and sent it to him. In 2013, they finally got a response and the legend wrote them a letter. “Hi Linda and Barbara, thanks very much for you lovely tape. It finally got through, better late than never,” he wrote. “Great to hear that you found each other after all these years. Keep enjoying the music, love Paul.”
Horse Meat Used As A Secret Ingredient
Episode: “Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song” S05E19
In “Sweet Seymour Skinner’s Baadasssss Song” we notice a chef including horse meat as a secret ingredient in her food. What should have remained a dark joke in the 1994 episode, sadly became a reality.
Four beef products from a company called Bird’s Eye tested positive for horse DNA in 2013. This company sold meat to companies like Taco Bell.
The Discovery of The Higgs Boston Particle
Episode: “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” S10E2
In “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace” Homer tries to become an inventor. The 1998 episode illustrated Homer writing a formula on a blackboard. It turns out the formula he was writing was parallel to the mass of a particle that hadn’t been discovered until 14 years later.
“That equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson,” said Simon Singh according to The Independent “If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that’s only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is. It’s kind of amazing as Homer makes this prediction 14 years before it was discovered.”
The Rolling Stones Touring in 2010
Episode: “Lisa’s Wedding” S06E19
The Beatles weren’t the only musicians to get predictions from The Simpsons. Once again, in “Lisa’s Wedding” her dorm room has a Rolling Stones poster with “steel wheelchair tour 2010” on it.
Lisa’s poster may have been two years off course, but the Rolling Stones opted to tour once again in 2012.
Edward Snowden
Episode: The Simpsons Movie
In The Simpsons Movie, Lisa and Marge are in the NSA building where they witness thousands of workers listening in on personal conversations of citizens. They end up running away and setting off an alarm in the building, essentially blowing the NSA’s cover.
Of course, this didn’t exactly play out the same way as the 2007 movie, but Edward Snowden did blow the whistle on what the NSA was doing six years later.
The Use of Smartwatches
Episode: “Lisa’s Wedding” S06E19
In the 1995 episode, “Lisa’s Wedding,” part of the story takes place in 2010 where Lisa is 23 years old. This episode allowed the show to make predictions about what the future would look like. We see one character talking into his watch, which is now achievable thanks to smartwatches.
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