The Simpsons first premiered in 1989 and is the longest-running American scripted sitcom. Fans have learned to love the antics of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The writers of the show seem to have their finger on the pulse of pop culture. During their 31 years of television, the show has predicted some amazingly accurate events. It's almost scary when you read all of their predictions and we've compiled a list of their most uncanny moments that came to light.
From forecasting technological advances to mirroring breaking news, the writers have an uncanny ability to see the future. They've predicted Olympic winners, scientific discoveries, and even a Nobel Prize winner. The Simpsons forecasted several scandals that rocked our world and shined a light on important moments in pop culture history. How did they know these events would happen? We can't help but wonder if they have a crystal ball or something!
20 They Predicted 2011's Three-Eyed Fish Finding In 1990
The writers of The Simpsons invented Blinky, the three-eyed fish during season 2, episode 4. Bart caught the mutated fish while fishing near a nuclear power plant. According to Gizmodo, a group of fishermen in Argentina pulled a three-eyed fish from a lake near a nuclear power plant in 2011.
19 We Sensored Michelangelo's David In 2016, But The Simpsons Did It In 1990
During The Simpsons season 2, episode 9 entitled, “Itchy & Scratchy & Marge”, the town of Springfield tried to censor Michelangelo's David. BBC News reported in 2016 that the residents of St. Petersburg, Russia voted on covering the naked statue. "This giant spoils the city's historic appearance and warps children's souls," a resident said.
18 The Beatles Started Responding To Old Fan Mail In 2011, But They Had Already Done This 10 Years Earlier On The Simpsons
In season 2, episode 18 of The Simpsons, Marge gets a letter from Ringo Starr 15 years after sending him fan mail. The episode was called “Brush With Greatness”. According to BBC News, a Beatles fan got a reply from Paul McCartney in 2011, 50 years after trying to contact him.
17 Lisa Knew The Redskins Would Win Super Bowl XXVI Days Before It Happened
Another case of when the writers of The Simpsons got it right was featured in season 3, episode 14. The episode was called “Lisa the Greek”. Lisa predicted that the Washington Redskins would win Super Bowl XXVI. A few days later, her prediction became true when the Redskins won.
16 Siegfried And Roy Got Attacked By Their Tiger In 2003 - 10 years After It Happened On The Show...
Season 5's, episode 10 titled "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)", had a German magic duo who performed in Springfield and were attacked by a white tiger. CBS News reported that Roy Horn, part of Siegfried & Roy was mauled by a white tiger in 2003.
15 They Totally Predicted Modern Day Autocorrect Fails Back In 1994
The Simpsons writers totally predicted autocorrect fails during season 6, episode 8 titled, “Lisa on Ice”. Dolph the bully tried to write a memo that said "Beat Up Martha" but it accidentally spelled out "Eat Up Martha" instead. Now we enjoy the pleasure of autocorrect fails on a daily basis.
14 They Predicted Smart Watches In 1995, But They Weren't Really Invented Until 2014
During season 6, episode 19 entitled “Lisa’s Wedding”, Lisa visits a fortune teller at a renaissance fair and is transported to the year 2010. Amazingly enough, wristwatch communication technology was a thing in the episode. It became a reality in 2014 and Smartwatch News even gave a shout out to the episode on Twitter.
13 They Were Ahead Of Their Time With Video Chats In 1995, Since That App Wasn't Available Until 2010
In the episode "Lisa's Wedding", Lisa took viewers to the year 2010 where The Simpsons had predicted the invention of Facetime. The characters communicated through video chat and according to CNET, Facetime was introduced to the real world in the year 2010. Yet again, The Simpsons nailed it!
12 They Predicted 2014's Ebola Outbreak In 1997
The Simpsons showed their predictive tendencies once again during season 9, episode 3 in an episode called “Lisa’s Sax”. Marge offered to read Bart a book called Curious George and the Ebola Virus. Fast forward to 2014 and according to UPROXX, this episode recirculated during the Ebola outbreak.
11 Homer Discovered The Higgs-Boson Particle In 1998, But Real Scientists Only Caught Up In 2012
During season 10, episode 2: “The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace”, Homer decided to become an inventor and wrote an equation on the blackboard. He totally predicted the Higgs-Boson particle which wasn't discovered by scientists until the year 2012. Time Magazine even featured an article about Homer's astounding prediction of the equation.
10 Disney Bought 20th Century Fox In 2017, But The Simpsons Saw This Coming Back In 1998
The Simpsons writers somehow knew that Disney would buy a large part of 20th Century Fox. During season 10, episode 5: “When You Dish Upon a Star”, the series showed the 20th Century Fox logo with “A Division of Walt Disney Co.” underneath it. According to Business Insider, it actually happened in 2017.
9 The Simpsons Totally Called That The U.S. Would Beat Sweden At Olympic Curling 8 Years Before It Happened
8 Millhouse Predicted 2016's Nobel Prize Winner Back In 2010
It was during season 22, episode 1: “Elementary School Musical” that The Simpsons made yet another forecast that actually came to fruition. Millhouse predicted that Bengt R. Holmström would win the Nobel Prize in Economics. NobelPrize.org announced that Holmström actually won the prize in 2016. How did they know?
7 They Knew 2005's Guitar Hero Was Going To Be Huge 3 Years Before It Was Released
The Simpsons also predicted the name of a popular video game during season 14, episode 2 called “How I Spent My Strummer Vacation”. Homer attended a Rolling Stone's rock and roll fantasy camp. He's given a jacket during the episode that said "Guitar Hero" on the back. The video game was released in 2005.
6 Homer Used A Faulty Voting Machine In 2008, Similar To Those We Saw In 2012
Homer made another uncanny prediction during season 20, episode 4: "Treehouse of Horror XIX". During the episode, Homer tried to vote for Barack Obama but the machine changed his vote to Mitt Romney. According to USA Today, that moment mirrored faulty E-voting machines in the 2012 election.
5 They Predicted The Entire Plot Of The Hangover In 1999, But The Movie Didn't Come Out Until 2009
There are so many similarities between the movie The Hangover and The Simpsons season 10 episode called "Viva Ned Flanders". Homer and Ned go to Las Vegas, hook up with prostitutes, and steal Mike Tyson's tiger. That pretty much sounds exactly like the plot of the popular 2009 film.
4 Lady Gaga’s 2017 Super Bowl Performance Was Featured In 2012
The Simpsons tapped into a pop culture prediction during season 23, episode 22 in an episode called "Lisa Goes Gaga". The show featured the singer performing for Springfield while suspended in the air. Lady Gaga descended onto the crowd during the 2017 halftime show of Super Bowl LI in a silver outfit.
3 They Nailed FIFA’s 2015 Corruption Scandal A Year Before It Happened
It was in season 25, episode 16: "You Don’t Have to Live Like a Referee" that The Simpsons nailed the prediction of FIFA's corruption scandal. During the episode, the world football federation representative is arrested for corruption. Time reported that FIFA officials were arrested on the same charges in 2015.
2 They Predicted Game of Thrones' Crazy Finale 2 Years Before The Episode Aired
The Simpsons somehow knew the plot twist that would enrage viewers in the Game of Thrones 2019 finale. During season 29, episode 1: "The Serfsons", residents of Springfield found themselves in the fantasy world of Springfieldia. The episode ended with a dragon destroying their village, echoing Drogon's destruction of King's Landing.
1 The NSA Spying Scandal Was Featured In 2007's The Simpsons Movie, But Only Actually Happened In 2013
It was in The Simpsons Movie that the writers predicted the NSA spying scandal. The family was forced to go into hiding, after the NSA located Marge by spying on their conversation. According to Time Magazine, Edward Snowden blew the lid off the NSA's spying in 2013.