5 times Hollywood has predicted the future

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Mariam Hanna, Editor-in-chief

The future is full of unknown- unknown events, unknown people, unknown conflicts, the list goes on.
How unknown is it really, though?
A plethora of television shows have had plot events and scenes that resemble a certain world event, but the kicker is that these shows were filmed years prior. So can Hollywood writers really predict the future? Here are 5 of the top times they may have done so.

Contagion
A phenomenal example of how unknown the future is is taking place right now. Who would have thought a virus would shut down the world and cause almost one million deaths internationally like COVID-19 has? Answer: “Contagion”, a movie released in 2011 that follows the race to find a vaccine for a deadly, fast-spreading virus that began nowhere other than China. That sounds utterly familiar.

The Simpsons
If you spend any time on the conspiracy side of the internet, you would be rather familiar with the dozens of theories revolving around “The Simpsons”, a popular cartoon that began airing in 1989. This show has gotten is fair share of attention regarding its accurate depiction of our current administration. In March of 2000, 16 years prior to Donald Trump winning the presidential election, an episode titled “Bart to the Future” aired in which Lisa Simpson take the presidency from Donald Trump. Keep in mind that at this point in time, Mr. Trump was a businessman, not a politician.

The Legends of Chamberlain Heights
2020 has been a rough year with wildfires, social movements, and a pandemic. One of the saddest moments for many Americans, especially sports fans, was the passing of basketball player Kobe Bryant in January. He was involved in a tragic helicopter incident that unfortunately took the lives of himself and eight others. A thought-provoking scene in yet another popular cartoon called “The Legends of Chamberlain Heights” displayed a tweet from 2016 that read “Kobe Bryant Crashes” with a photo of Bryant stuck under a helicopter, morbidly predicting this accident.

Futurama
Steve Harvey took the world by surprise when he announced the wrong winner for the Miss Universe pageant in 2015. Despite his hosting experience and years under the spotlight, he slipped up and gave the crown to Miss Columbia instead of Miss Philippines. As shocking as this was for viewers, what may be even more astonishing is that this exact incident took place in a 2000 episode of “Futurama”, another animation from the late 90’s/ early 2000’s. In this episode, the host announced the wrong winner for the 3001 Miss Universe pageant, similar to Harvey’s mistake.

Parks & Recreation
Writers of sitcom “Parks & Recreation” should not have been surprised by the news of the Chicago Cubs winning their first World Series in 108 years back in 2016- they basically wrote it into existence. In an episode called “Ron & Jammy” that aired in 2015, a character discusses the friendliness of Chicago residents due to the Cubs’ victory.