15 Times The Simpsons Predicted the Future

As the longest-running animated TV show, The Simpsons has been on the air for over 30 years. Throughout its long run, the show has gained a reputation for accurately predicting future events and technologies. In this article, we will explore some of the most notable examples of times when The Simpsons “predicted” the future, including the discovery of the Higgs boson, the rise of mobile phones and tablets, and the discovery of a new species of monkey.

While it is important to note that these predictions were not necessarily made to accurately forecast future events, they do serve as a testament to the creativity and wit of the show’s writers and the enduring cultural impact of The Simpsons

List of The Simpsons Future Predictions

While it’s impressive that The Simpsons is the longest-running animated television show, that’s not the only fascinating fact. In fact, the show has often been thought to predict future events. Although some of the fans of the animated series might be aware of this already, the non-fans that are probably unaware can get some details here.

This animated TV show sometimes makes us wonder if the world is just a simulation. And there are people controlling everything. We’ll never know, but we can check out times when The Simpsons have predicted the future. Some are funny, and others are creepy.

1. The Simpsons Predicted the Invention of Autocorrect

Season 6, Episode 8 – In a 1998 episode of The Simpsons, the character Lisa Simpson is seen using a word processor that automatically corrects her spelling and grammar mistakes. And this prediction came true with the widespread use of autocorrect on phones and computers.

Autocorrect is a feature on most smartphones and computers that automatically corrects misspelled words as you type them. This can be handy if you’re in a hurry or not a very good speller. However, the autocorrect feature can also be frustrating. This happens if it constantly changes the words you’re trying to type, but there’s a solution.

If you find that autocorrect is more of a hindrance than a help, there are a few things you can do to turn it off or customize it to your liking.

2. The Use of Smartwatches

Season 6, Episode 19 – In a 1995 episode of The Simpsons, the character Lisa Simpson is seen wearing a watch that can access the internet and send emails. This prediction came true in the 2010s with the widespread adoption of smartwatches.
Smartwatches are now becoming increasingly popular and they offer a convenient way to stay connected and track your fitness. There are a variety of different models available, from basic models that simply track your steps to more advanced models that include features such as GPS and heart rate monitoring.

3. The Simpsons Predicted the Ebola Outbreak

Season 9, Episode 3 – In a 1997 episode of The Simpsons, the character Dr. Hibbert jokes about an “Ebola-like virus” breaking out in Springfield. This prediction came true in 2014 when the Ebola virus outbreak occurred in West Africa. How unbelievable!

It’s worth noting that many of these predictions may be coincidental. And it’s difficult to predict future events accurately.

Some others claim that “The Simpsons” foresaw the 2014 Ebola outbreak 17 years in advance. They claimed this happened when Marge suggested a book titled “Curious George and the Ebola Virus” to a sick Bart in the episode “Lisa’s Sax.” The virus was not widely transmitted in the 1990s, but it was at the top of the news years later.

Ebola was detected in 1976, and while this outbreak is the biggest yet, it killed 254 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1995 and 224 in Uganda in 2000.

4. When The Simpsons called Donald Trump’s Election as the United States President

Season 11, Episode 17 – In the 2000 episode “Bart to the Future,” the sitcom takes its prediction skills to the next level by naming Donald Trump as President.

The episode speculates on Bart’s life in the future. It depicts Lisa as President. “As you know, we’ve inherited quite a budget crunch from President Trump,” she says in the Oval Office.

Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States in 2017 – Seventeen years after The Simpsons predicted it.

5. Holographic Displays

In a 1995 episode of The Simpsons, the character Homer Simpson is seen using a holographic display to watch TV. This prediction came true with the development of holographic display technology in the 2010s.

6. Disney’s acquisition of 21st Century Fox

In a 1998 episode of The Simpsons, the character Mr. Burns sells his controlling share of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to a “mega-conglomerate” called “Burns World Media.” The logo for Burns World Media closely resembles the logo for 21st Century Fox, and in 2017, Disney announced that it was acquiring 21st Century Fox.

7. A Defective Voting Machine

Season 2, Episode 4 – In 2008, “The Simpsons” featured Homer attempting to vote for Barack Obama in the US general election, but his vote was modified due to a defective voting machine.

Four years later, a voting machine in Pennsylvania was withdrawn when it repeatedly turned people’s votes for Barack Obama to votes for his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney.

8. Letter from The Beatles

Season 2, Episode 18 – In 1991, an episode of “The Simpsons” saw The Beatles’ Ringo Star carefully responding to fan mail addressed decades before.

In September 2013, two Beatles fans from Essex received a response from Paul McCartney to a letter and audio they had submitted to the band 50 years before. The recording was sent to a London venue where the band was scheduled to perform. But it was discovered years later in a car boot sale by a historian.
In 2013, the BBC’s “The One Show” reunited the couple with their letter and a response from McCartney.

9. The Horsemeat Scandal

Season 5, Episode 19. Lunchlady Doris made lunch for Springfield Elementary children out of “assorted horse parts” in 1994. Nine years later, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland discovered horse DNA in more than one-third of beefburger samples from supermarkets and ready meals and pig DNA in 85% of them.

10. The Simpsons Predicted the Construction of The Shard

Season 6, Episode 19. The 1995 episode “Lisa’s Wedding” featured some surprise predictions. During Lisa’s trip to London, we notice a building behind Tower Bridge that appears to be The Shard. It’s even in its exact spot.
The building’s construction began 14 years later, in 2009.

11. The Invention of Robotic Librarians

Season 6, Episode 19. In “Lisa’s Wedding,” it was uncovered that in the “Simpsons” universe, librarians had been replaced by robots. More than two decades later, robotics students at the University of Aberystwyth created a prototype for a walking library robot. Scientists in Singapore are also testing their own robot librarians.

12. The Simpsons Predicted the Discovery of the Higgs Boson Equation

Season 8, Episode 1. In the 1998 episode “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace,” Homer Simpson becomes an inventor and is shown in front of a difficult equation on a blackboard.

According to Simon Singh, author of “The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets,” the equation predicts the mass of the Higgs boson particle. Professor Peter Higgs and five other physicists predicted it in 1964, but it wasn’t until 2013 that scientists found proof of the Higgs boson in a £10.4 billion ($13 billion) experiment.

13. The U.S. Win Against Sweden in Curling at the Olympic Games

Season 21, Episode 12. The United States curling team defeated Sweden in one of the greatest comebacks of the 2018 Winter Olympics.

This historic victory was foretold in the 2010 episode “Boy Meets Curl” of “The Simpsons.” Marge and Homer Simpson compete in curling in the Olympics in Vancouver and defeat Sweden.

In real life, the United States Men’s Olympic Curling Team won a gold medal. Much as it was depicted in “The Simpsons.” The victory represents the United States’ second curling medal.

14. The Simpsons predicted Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime Show

Season 23, Episode 22. Lady Gaga performed for the community of Springfield while suspended in midair in 2012. And five years later, she actually flew from the roof of Houston’s NRG Stadium to deliver her Super Bowl halftime show.

15. The ‘Game of Thrones’ Storyline Twist Involving Daenerys Targaryen

Season 29, Episode 1. In the penultimate episode of “Game of Thrones,” Daenerys Targaryen and her dragon destroyed an already surrendered King’s Landing. Hence, obliterating thousands of innocent civilians.

In 2017, on a season 29 episode of “The Simpsons” titled “The Serfsons,” which spoofs numerous features of “Game of Thrones,” including the Three-Eyed Raven and the Night King, Homer resurrects a dragon and proceeds to incinerate a hamlet.

It is amazing how often The Simpsons has accurately predicted the future. From technology to current events, the writers of the show seem to know what’s going to happen. While some of the predictions are clearly made for humor, others are surprisingly accurate. It will be interesting to see what the writers predict next.

Although it is impossible to know what the future holds, The Simpsons have a track record of being eerily accurate.

Before you go…

Hey, thank you for reading this blog to the end. I hope it was helpful. Let me tell you a little bit about Nicholas Idoko Technologies. We help businesses and companies build an online presence by developing web, mobile, desktop, and blockchain applications.

We also help aspiring software developers and programmers learn the skills they need to have a successful career. Take your first step to becoming a programming boss by joining our Learn To Code academy today!

Be sure to contact us if you need more information or have any questions! We are readily available.