Did the Simpsons predict the storming of the US Capitol?
The Simpsons have appeared to be one step ahead of history on several occasions in the past, the election of Donald Trump and the outbreak of the pandemic being just some of the events that the iconic show predicted. But did they also foresee the far-right Capitol riots?
Fans of the show seem to think so. Many of them took to social media to share footage from the long-running animated series proving the storming of the US Capitol was indeed predicted.
The 1996 Simpsons episode "The Day the Violence Died" depicted people outraged about the passing of an amendment which banned flag burning.
When the amendment is ratified, a talking congressional bill runs up the steps of the Capitol, shouting "Door’s open boys!" and a stream of other anthropomorphic bills are seen storming the Capitol holding guns and bombs.
Others pointed to a 1999 episode called "Beyond Blunderdome" in which guest star and actor Mel Gibson blows up the entire Senate. That might be streching things a bit, though.
More recently, the 31st annual Halloween episode of the show, which aired before the presidential election, depicted an apocalyptic scene where hell unleashes across Springfield on Inauguration Day 2021 after Homer fails to vote.
Simpsons have already predicted the pandemic and Donald Trump's presidency
It's not the first time the prophetic writing of the iconic series has blown people's minds.
The 1993 episode "Marge in Chains" featured a mysterious virus from Asia, the fictional Osaka Flu, spreading in Springfield after a sick factory employee in Japan coughs into numerous packages of juices shipped to the fictional US town. The scary pandemic that unfolds in the episode feels a bit too much like what the world has been going through since the outbreak of Covid-19.
An episode titled "Bart to the Future" also foresaw that Donald Trump would one day become US President – all the way back in 2000, 15 years before he even announced running for the presidency.
Hopefully the outcome of Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration will be rosier than predicted in last year's Treehouse of Horror episode.
Cover photo: instagram.com/thesimpsons/