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The Simpsons Did It First: People Think The Iconic Show Predicted Greta Thunberg
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The Simpsons Did It First: People Think The Iconic Show Predicted Greta Thunberg

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The Simpsons are known as the show that predicts the future. They knew Donald Trump will become president and … Turns out, they also foresaw the rise of Greta Thunberg. 10 years ago. In the seventeenth episode of the twentieth season, “The Good, the Sad and the Drugly,” Lisa was assigned to write a report on what Springfield will look like in the year 2059. When she discovered online reports about soap being used for drinks instead of water, a world war over a tiny drop of oil, a parking lot yet to be filled forever, and the last polar bear committing suicide, she was filled with anxiety and depression and terrified her classmates with her dark visions of the oceans rising from global warming, turning humanity and the lowlands into a desert and darkness falling upon Nineveh. Sounds familiar?

Image credits: FOX

After Thunberg’s speech at the UN, people started comparing its tone to Lisa’s presentation, and you can’t really blame them for that. Some even took it further, saying that Greta is Lisa’s real-life version. And it’s not that far-fetched, too. Think about it, Lisa is a thoughtful, intelligent, outspoken young girl who doesn’t shy away from important topics no matter how many adults try to silence her. She’s the most prominent activist on the entire show. Kinda the same way that Greta is currently our’s.

Image credits: FOX

RELATED:

    Watch Lisa’s presentation below

    Image credits: Lorum Ipsum

    Here’s what people had to say about it

    Image credits: Hollyl97

    Image credits: sofatalata

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    Image credits: BBCPropaganda

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    Image credits: Mvldini

    The fans of Greta Thunberg and The Simpsons also created this image to fit the famous death stare Greta recently gave president Trump

    Image credits: theINBTWN

    Here are some other things the Simpsons predicted:

    Donald Trump’s Presidency

    In 2000, 16 years before the actual announcement, The Simpsons had already predicted that Donald Trump will run for president and they even managed to predict that he will win. We still have time to see if Lisa’s words hold true once Trump’s presidency is over.

    Faulty Voting Machine

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    This one surprised many as The Simpsons managed to almost identically predict the future. Back in 2008, Homer was illustrated voting for Obama during the election but the vote automatically changing for Mitt Romney. 4 years later, the exact same thing happened in Pennsylvania where a faulty machine had to be removed because of changing people’s votes for Mitt Romney.

    The Prediction Of Higgs Boson Or “God Particle”

    Back in 2012, physicists confirmed the existence of the Higgs Boson also known as the “God particle”. This scientific breakthrough helped explain how everything in the universe has mass. The discovery itself is amazing but what is even better is the fact that 14 years before this happened, Homer was illustrated in front of a blackboard with an equation that actually predicted the mass of the yet-to-be-discovered particle which basically means Homer was the first scientist to share any info on Higgs Boson.

    Three-Eyed Fish

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    The iconic three-eyed fish was a symbol throughout The Simpsons of the massive pollution the town was facing and how badly it affects nature. Funnily (or sadly) enough, a similar fish was found in Argentina near a nuclear power plant.

    Disney Buying 20th Century Fox

    Back in 1998, the creators of The Simpsons showed Homer creating the script. This script was produced by 20th Century Fox but in the episode, you can notice that there’s a sign in front of the studio’s headquarters that says “a division of Walt Disney Co.” In fact, Disney did actually purchase 20th Century Fox for $52.4 billion 19 years later.

    Nobel Prize Winner

    In one of their episodes, The Simpsons showed Milhouse betting on MIT professor Bengt Holmström to win the Nobel Prize. Surprisingly, he did win after 6 years.

    White Tiger Attack

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    Back in 1993, The Simpsons mocked Siegfried & Roy by showing them getting mauled by their white tiger. The same thing happened in real life 10 years later.

    Got Season 8 Plot Twist

    Many were surprised that the unimaginable Game of Thrones Season 8 plot twist was actually already predicted by The Simpsons. I guess we should thank The Simpsons for the spoiler or you can thank us if you still didn’t watch the last season and came to read this list.

    Smartwatches

    Back in 1995, The Simpsons showed one of their characters wearing a watch that you can also use as a phone. It took 20 years for the actual Apple Watch to be released.

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    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

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    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

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    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Mindaugas Balčiauskas

    Author, BoredPanda staff

    I'm a visual editor at Bored Panda. I kickstart my day with a mug of coffee bigger than my head, ready to tackle Photoshop. I navigate through the digital jungle with finesse, fueled by bamboo breaks and caffeine kicks. When the workday winds down, you might catch me devouring bamboo snacks while binging on the latest TV show, gaming or I could be out in nature, soaking up the tranquility and communing with my inner panda.

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    Read less »

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Rokas Laurinavičius

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Rokas is a writer at Bored Panda with a BA in Communication. After working for a sculptor, he fell in love with visual storytelling and enjoys covering everything from TV shows (any Sopranos fans out there?) to photography. Throughout his years in Bored Panda, over 300 million people have read the posts he's written, which is probably more than he could count to.

    What do you think ?
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    Wil Vanderheijden
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't know but if an absurd cartoon series has predictive qualities, doesn't that say something about how insane reality has become?

    Max Palmer
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Simpsons have been predicting things to a point it's scary

    Miklós Nagy
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can we get more Greta Thunberg article? There are only 4 of them on the front page...

    Load More Comments
    Wil Vanderheijden
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I don't know but if an absurd cartoon series has predictive qualities, doesn't that say something about how insane reality has become?

    Max Palmer
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The Simpsons have been predicting things to a point it's scary

    Miklós Nagy
    Community Member
    5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Can we get more Greta Thunberg article? There are only 4 of them on the front page...

    Load More Comments
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