August 18, 2022 at 4:11 pm

9 Times “The Simpsons” Predicted the Future

by Matthew Gilligan

The folks behind The Simpsons haven’t predicted a thing or two, but a whole hatful of events and bits that have come to pass in the real world – some of them extremely specific, with names and everything.

If you’ve heard about this phenomenon but aren’t exactly sure what was predicted when, we’ve got 9 pretty crazy jokes that turned out to be very real reality a decade or more later.

9. The Apple iPod, 5 years early.

In 1996, The Simpsons unveiled a device that closely resembles the first generation iPod, and was also meant to communicate messages and play music.

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Photo Credit: Fox

8. This aired in 2000.

A full 16 years before it came to pass – and yes, they predicted he would not only run, but that he’d win.

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Photo Credit: Fox

7. Spoiler alert!

The Simpsons knew the big twist in Season 8 of Game of Thrones before anyone else – and certainly before those of us still waiting for GRRM to finish the books.

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Photo Credit: Fox

6. Lady Gaga’s flyover at the Super Bowl.

She performed the same trick in Springfield 6 years earlier, and even the outfit wasn’t too far off.

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Photo Credit: Fox

5. The Shard Building in London.

In the episode “Lisa’s Wedding” a building that wouldn’t appear for 14 years appears in the distance. The shape and location are exactly correct!

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Photo Credit: Fox

4. The fall of the World Trade Center.

In 1997 the Simpsons planned a trip to New York, and Lisa holds up a magazine that shows the Twin Towers next to a big number 9. Conspiracy theorists are having a heyday right now!

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Photo Credit: Fox

3. That Ebola wasn’t over.

Marge knew Bart might need to have the details about how to combat Ebola way back when.

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Photo Credit: Fox

2. Eating horse meat.

In 2003, there was a huge scandal in Ireland when authorities found horse DNA in over 1/3 of the beef burger samples from supermarkets.

In 1994, lunch lady Doris from Springfield enjoyed using “assorted horse parts” when preparing student meals.

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Photo Credit: Fox

1. The financial crisis in Greece.

Maybe they have someone from the UN on call, because The Simpsons were putting Greece on eBay back in 2012.

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Photo Credit: Fox

It really is a bit strange when you think about it, don’t you think…?

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