We are unable to predict exactly what will happen in the future. But the creators of The Simpsons, Inspector Gadget, Futurama and Family Guy seem to have that skill. Some of the references can hardly be called predictions, but nevertheless, in some scenes the scriptwriters managed to get closer to events or objects from the future in an unimaginable way. The Simpsons, of course, remain the Predicting Champions!
Trump Presidency in The Simpsons
In 2000, 16 years before Trump's de facto victory in the presidential election, The Simpsons already predicted that he would run for president and subsequently win. "As you know, President Trump made a big hole in our budget …" - Lisa's words from the episode.
Higgs boson
In 2012, physicists confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson, also known as the "God particle." It has become one of the most important components of modern theoretical physics of elementary particles. 14 years earlier, Homer, in one of the episodes of The Simpsons, wrote on the blackboard an equation that actually predicted the mass of a particle that had not yet been discovered.
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Family Guy Predicted Bruce Jenner To Become A Woman
Bruce Jenner (now Caitlin Jenner), a former American athlete and head of the secular Kardashian family, and now something of the third sex, was portrayed in Family Guy long before he came out. Even then, the creators of the cartoon portrayed him in an effeminate manner, and in one of the episodes he was called "a beautiful German woman."
Defective voting machines for elections
In 2008, The Simpsons predicted faulty voting machines. In the episode, Homer voted for Barack Obama, but the voice automatically changed to Mitt Romney. Four years later, this happened in reality. Several automatic machines in the elections in Pennsylvania had to be replaced due to a malfunction - all the votes were changed to Mitt Romney.
David's censorship
In one of the episodes of The Simpsons, Michelangelo's David appeared before us in jeans. In 2016 in St. Petersburg, in the courtyard of the Lutheran Church of St. Anna, a copy of the legendary statue was installed. After a local pensioner complained about David's causal place, which “disfigures children's souls”, the “Dress David” action was organized. Many residents also wished to cover the statue's genitals, but in the end decided to leave it as it is. Without waiting for the end of the action, St. Petersburg artists covered David's place with a cap and paper tape.
White tiger attack on trainers
The Simpsons once parodied the famous American trainer duo Siegfried and Roy. During the performance, one of the trainers was attacked by a white tiger. The prediction came true 10 years later, at the performance of a duet with white tigers in Las Vegas.
The Simpsons spoiled the Game of Thrones ending
Game of Thrones fans who recently watched the finale were surprised by the references to the finale from The Simpsons. The 2017 episode "The Serfsons" featured several Game of Thrones references.
Smart watch
In 1995, The Simpsons showed a watch that could be used as a telephone. The Apple Watch was born 20 years later.
Nobel Prize Winner
In 2010, Milhouse gambled on Bengt Holmstrom winning the Nobel Prize in Economics. Six years later, it actually happened.
Disney and Fox studios deal
In 1998, in one of the episodes of The Simpsons, Homer wrote the script for the film. The script was produced by 20th Century Fox, but a sign in front of the studio's headquarters can be seen in the episode reading "A Walt Disney Division." Disney actually bought 20th Century Fox for $ 52.4 billion, only 19 years later.
Three eyed fish
In an episode from the 90s, Bart fished a three-eyed mutant fish from a pond near a nuclear power plant. The fish has become a symbol of the pollution of the reservoir by a nuclear power plant. 20 years after the release of the series, a similar fish was caught in Argentina - in one reservoir, where the local power plant also dumped waste.
Virtual reality attraction
Many cartoons have tried to illustrate what entertainment will look like in the future. The creators of "Futurama" were the closest - they correctly predicted what the VR attraction will look like and how we will use it.
Horse meat scandal
In a 1994 episode of "The Simpsons," Doris the barmaid was digging through a barrel of "horse meat" while preparing meals for the students. Nine years later, a scandal erupted in Ireland when the Food Safety Authority found horse DNA in beef burgers on supermarket shelves.
First laptop
Inspector Gadget has predicted various technological innovations more than once. One of them is the "computer book" of a girl named Penny, which is very much reminiscent of the first Toshiba laptop, which was released a couple of years later.
Flying Lady Gaga
The Simpsons featured singer Lady Gaga flying under the dome at a show 5 years before she performed the same number at the 2017 Super Bowl.
Unmanned vehicle
Not an entirely accurate prediction, but still - in the 80s in "Inspector Gadget" showed a car that can drive and park without a driver. Then it seemed to the audience that this was a distant future. Well, the "future" came in 2014 when Google introduced its self-driving car.
Scandal at "Miss Universe"
There was a scandal at the 2015 Miss Universe pageant - the presenter confused the participants, and one of them had to give the winner's crown to another girl. In one of the 1999 episodes of Futurama, an identical situation occurred.
First digital camera
And again “Inspector Gadget” with technological predictions - this time the girl Penny in one of the episodes was holding a device in her hands, which later reminded the audience of the first digital camera. The device was attached to her computer book and used to take photographs.
Ebola epidemic
17 years before the actual outbreak of the Ebola virus, in an episode of The Simpsons of the last century, Marge invites Bart to read the book "Curious George and the Ebola Virus"
Economic crisis in Greece
In 2012, the series "The Simpsons" was released, where Homer became a guest of the news program. During the release, you can see the ticker "Europe put Greece on eBay". Three years later, Greece became the first developed country to face a major economic crisis.
Skyscraper "Shard" in London
In the 1995 episode of The Simpsons, viewers were shown the skyscraper behind Tower Bridge, today very reminiscent of the silhouette of the famous Shard. Interestingly, the skyscraper project was developed only in 2000. How do they do it ?!
Auto correction
Autocorrect jambs were mocked in The Simpsons back in 1994. During a Springfield school meeting, the bully Kearney asked his friend Dolph to write a "beat Martin" tag on his Apple Newton device. However, the miracle device identified the handwritten text as "eat Martha."