The "Swine Flu Pandemic" (2009)

The Simpsons has earned quite the reputation for seemingly predicting the future. It’s actually a bit of a meme at this point, with fans pointing out how many things in the real world appear to have been "predicted" by the show, sometimes years in advance. While some of these predictions are purely coincidental or the result of broad satire, others do seem oddly prescient.

The "Swine Flu Pandemic" (2009)

• What happened: In "Lisa's Wedding" (1995), the show features a scene where a character contracts the "Swine Flu" and becomes very ill. This is one of the first references to the swine flu on TV.
• Reality: The H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic broke out in 2009, spreading across the globe and infecting millions. It was a strain of flu that originated in pigs and was easily transmitted among humans. The show's reference to the swine flu years earlier seems eerily prescient.