7 times The Simpsons predicted the future

The children at Springfield Elementary school were – unbeknownst to them – digging into horse meat for lunch in a 1994 episode. Almost 20 years later, so were we. The horse meat scandal in Europe revealed that foods advertised as beef contained other meats, including that of an equine nature.

2. Smart watches and camera phones

A futuristic 1995 episode of The Simpsons called Lisa's Wedding showed Lisa's fiance making a phone call using his watch. LOL – like that would ever be possible... oh hang on a minute. Nowadays, wearable tech is everywhere. But Springfield called it first. The same episode also features Lisa and Marge FaceTiming – or as they called it then, using "a picture phone".

3. President Donald Trump

In simpler times, before the world lost its mind – the year 2000, to be precise – The Simpsons predicted that property tycoon Donald Trump would be President of the United States. It was a hilarious joke. That could NEVER happen, right? Right guys? In the episode, Bart has a vision of his future where he’s an alcoholic and his sister Lisa has become president, following Trump’s time in office. See you in four years, Lisa?

4. Robot librarians

Robots as librarians – fancy that? Well, Lisa did, as her librarian was a robot in 1995. And only a few months ago, students at Aberystwyth University in Wales designed one too. Considerably less explosions and melting are involved in real life… so far.

5. People swinging on wrecking balls

It was made fashionable by Homer Simpson in 1994, and copied by Miley Cyrus in 2013. That’s right, Homer came in like a wrecking ball first, ok Miley? The Simpsons version involves considerably more clothes, less gyrating and less licking of random objects. Thank the lord.

6. Lemon trees mysteriously going missing

Stealing a lemon tree that doesn’t belong to you is a wretched, wretched crime. In the 1995 Simpsons episode Lemon of Troy, the kids of Shelbyville snatch a lemon tree from Springfield territory, leading to all-out war. Cut to 2013, and the real world, and a lemon tree theft took place in Texas. There was no war as such, but the owner did release a scathing statement saying: "I hope you find yourself stricken with dysentery on a long drive in the middle of nowhere. If you needed my lemons so bad, I hope they serve you well."

7. Three-eyed fish

Bart caught Blinky, a three-eyed fish, in a 1990 episode of The Simpsons. He found it in the pond fed by Monty Burn's nuclear power plant. In 2011, a three-eyed fish was pulled from a reservoir in Argentina, which was fed by water from a nuclear plant in the province of Córdoba. Mildly terrifying.

And finally... The John Lewis ad

A dog bouncing on a trampoline? Been there, done that...