For a time, The Simpsons was as close to TV perfection as you could get. A razor sharp satirical sense combined with some of the best writing in TV history gave the show a pre-eminent aura that no series has yet managed to duplicate. So sharp was the writers' collective observational ability that The Simpsons even managed to predict numerous cultural and political developments way before they actually happened. Here are five examples:
1. President Trump
Season 11, Episode 17: "Bart to the Future"
At the turn of the century, The Simpsons depicted the presidency of one Donald J. Trump. Of course, the real estate magnate and reality TV show star would ascend to power 16 years later, but even back in 2000, such a thing seemed highly unlikely.
2. Autocorrect
Season Six, Episode Eight: "Lisa on Ice"
Back in 1994, autocorrect, and its various shortcomings, were yet to enter the public consciousness. But, of course, The Simpsons managed to call this one way before the first iPhone would arrive.
In Season Six, episode eight, school bully Kearney asks his long-time cohort Dolph to take a memo on his "Newton" to beat up the perpetually hopeless Martin. At the time, Apple's personal assistant device didn't quite have the cultural impact the company had intended, and the writers took an amusing swipe at its underwhelming performance in this moment.
Dolph's "Beat up Martin" note automatically gets changed to "Eat up Martha," prompting Dolph to hurl the thing at Martin's head.
Such autocorrect issues would become the norm for every smartphone user in the forthcoming decades, and with this brief gag, The Simpsons managed to predict yet another cultural meme. Meanwhile, the Newton has been unceremoniously consigned to history, but at least it'll be remembered for its effectiveness at giving poor Martin a concussion.
3. The "God particle"
Season 10, Episode Two: "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace"
In season 10, Homer turns his attention to becoming an inventor, conceiving such devices as the "everything's OK alarm," which sounds every three seconds unless something isn't okay. But during his time in the lab (i.e. the basement), Homer seemingly inadvertently predicts the mass of the Higgs boson or "God particle."
During one montage, Homer stands in front of an equation written on a blackboard, which, when worked out, gives you a figure close to the mass of the actual Higgs boson. According to Dr. Simon Singh, author of the tome The Simpsons and their Mathematical Secrets: "If you work it out, you get the mass of a Higgs boson that's only a bit larger than the nano-mass of a Higgs boson actually is."
With some help from the large hadron collider, physicists would eventually discover the particle in 2012—14 years after Homer. But Homer managed to do it all with some chalk and a chalkboard, proving what fans of the show have known for some time: that the man is a secret genius.
4. Baby translator
Season Three, Episode 24: "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?"
Back in the show's early years, we saw quite a bit of Homer's Danny Devito-voiced brother Herb. And after Homer managed to bankrupt his bro back in season one, the former high-roller returned in 1992's season three to invent a baby translator and restore his fortune.
Homer is, of course, rewarded with the Spine Melter 2000 massage chair that had given him a 2001: A Space Odyssey-esque spiritual experience earlier in the episode.
But another result of Herb's seemingly bizarre invention was its actual materialisation. Yes, someone actually invented a baby translator app in 2015.
5. Siegfried and Roy Tiger Attack
Season Five, Episode 10: "$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalised Gambling)"
The Simpsons' version of Siegfried and Roy, Gunter and Ernst, show up a few times throughout the series. One of Homer's memorable lines comes when he encounters the pair with their tiger in Vegas and exclaims: "Ah, a lion!"
But back in season five, the duo can be seen performing in Mr. Burns' short-lived casino in Springfield. Unfortunately, the pair are mauled by their tiger on-stage, in what would prove to be a grim prophecy.
Ten years later, the actual Siegfried and Roy show went the same way when Roy Horn was similarly mauled during a performance. The attack left the performer partially paralysed, bringing an end to the pair's iconic Vegas show.
