.png)
The Simpsons has yet again demonstrated an uncanny ability to properly predict the future after a visual gag from an episode nine years ago came true with disturbing accuracy.
We all know by now that The Simpsons is good at predicting things, but in this case, they managed to correctly call which teams would be competing in a basketball game and get the date right.
If you're a fan of NCAA basketball, then you'll probably know that N.C. State Wolfpack beat Duke Blue Devils by 76 to 64 on 31 March.
Advert
What you might not have known is that The Simpsons totally called this, with one of their episodes correctly guessing that both teams would be in the final and the date of 31 March would be significant.
It's only lending more weight to the argument that The Simpsons writers are secretly time travellers who find out important stuff and work it into the show.
This seemingly unbelievable prediction was called out by Cory Smith and Spencer Thomas, who shared a clip from the first episode of season 27, which first aired back in 2015.
Advert
In the clip, it's 31 March and Homer is being praised for staying sober all March, and Marge praises him for a number of things including 'impeccable behaviour watching the NCAA basketball tournament'.
We then see Homer wearing a Duke Blue Devils shirt and holding an N.C. State flag before the whole thing is revealed to be a drunken dream as the jovial patriarch of The Simpsons is actually snoozing in a bar.
It turns out that nine years on Duke would play N.C. State in the NCAA on 31 March, making this quite the prediction from The Simpsons whether they were intending to call this one or not.
It's the latest in a long line of eerily accurate predictions from The Simpsons, which in the past had successfully called Donald Trump's presidency, an invasion of murder hornets and politicians eating fish from radioactive waters to prove it's safe.
Advert
As for how The Simpsons is able to have such a consistent hit rate, the show's writers have put it down to luck and being around for so darn long that eventually you're bound to get a few things right.
"If you write 700 episodes, and you don't predict anything, then you're pretty bad. If you throw enough darts, you're going to get some bullseyes," Simpsons writer Al Jean told NME - though he did admit that some of the things they were right about were 'crazy'.
Speaking of which, a joke from almost 30 years ago is ready to become reality after hip-hop band Cypress Hill announced they really would be performing with the London Symphony Orchestra this summer.
Advert
As for what else to watch out for this year, some Simpsons predictions about virtual reality food and a baby translating machine also look like they're going to come true.
Topics: The Simpsons, TV and Film, Sport
Joe Harker