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Fact Check: Did 'The Simpsons' Writers Predict The Coronavirus Outbreak 27 Years Ago?
India, 6 March 2020 9:37 AM GMT
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By : Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
Twitter is convinced that an early episode of "The Simpsons" predicted the coronavirus outbreak.
16 years ago, an episode of "The Simpsons" predicted that Donald Trump would be the president of the United States.
In the midst of the frenzy that the Coronavirus outbreak has generated, a rumour started circulating on social media that the long-running sitcom "The Simpsons" had "predicted" this outbreak in 1993.
The Simpsons scares me. This episode aired 27 years ago in 1993 🤯 #CoronaVirus pic.twitter.com/Zc0XUZn5PO
— 𝒂𝒔𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 (@ashakiiii) January 30, 2020
The stills are believed to be taken from a 1993 episode, where there is an illness creating chaos.
In the fourth season of The Simpsons, in an episode "Marge in Chains," a news report announces fears of the "Osaka Flu."
In another scene, a visibly infected Japanese factory worker coughs into a package, which is then sent to the United States.
Most of the residents of Springfield get sick as a result.
This narrative seems to suggest "The Simpsons" somehow knew about the spread of the respiratory illness 27 years ago.
Aaaaaaaand the Simpsons predicted corona virus pic.twitter.com/8I2Rq1DbuM
— SalmayneYo (@young_salvatore) March 3, 2020
Simpson predictions from 1993 season 4 episode 21..wow Corona virus😞 pic.twitter.com/QDvcliJQOW
— ACE21 (@AceLomavatu) March 5, 2020Don't know how they do it, but The Simpsons are always on point with the predictions (i.e. 9/11, trump, Corona Virus, etc). #Crazy pic.twitter.com/ix3vi76WB6
— Ä-LEX-ANDER THE GREAT (@LEXercise) March 4, 2020
Claim:
Simpsons predicted Coronavirus outbreak long ago.
Fact Check:
The first three panels of the viral image going counter clock-wise (i.e., all but the bottom-right panel) are original. These are taken from the 1993 episode (Season 4, Episode 21) entitled "Marge in Chains."
The episode shows the residents of Springfield dealing with an outbreak of "Osaka Flu," which spreads after a factory worker coughs into a box.
The video shows the 3 stills in this episode.
The fourth panel (bottom right), however, is doctored and actually comes from a different episode of "The Simpsons."
That panel, featuring Springfield reporter Kent Brockman, is from the episode "The Fool Monty" (Season 22, Episode 6).
The words "Corona Virus" are morphed on top of this image, which originally read "Apocalypse Meow."
Although the 1993 episode of "The Simpsons" did focus on a viral outbreak, this can't be termed as a prediction.
"The Simpsons" was in all probabilities commenting on past events like the Spanish Flu, the Hong Kong Flu, and the Asian Flu and not making future predictions.
If you have any news that you believe needs to be fact-checked, please email us at factcheck@thelogicalindian.com or WhatsApp at 6364000343
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