Conspiracy theorists incorrectly believe The Simpsons predicted the fires in Hawaii (Picture: Disney)
The Simpsons has predicted many spooky future events but this time conspiracy theorists are barking up the wrong tree… again.
They believe a 2016 episode of the long-running cartoon titled Monty Burns’ Fleeing Circus foretold the use of directed-energy weapons, a Star Wars-style laser beam that shoots highly-focused energy at precise targets.
Now, before we get any further, let’s make it crystal clear: the following theory is completely and utterly false and is an example of how poorly fact-checked evidence becomes dangerous lies.
But conspiracy theorists developed an outlandish and misleading theory The Simpsons episode in question ‘predicted directed-energy weapons ordered by the government caused the Hawaii fires.’
Catastrophic wildfires started in Maui a week ago, on August 8. The devastating flames wiped out Lahaina and residents ran into the ocean to escape the flames and smoke. As of Monday, the wildfires in Maui had killed at least 99 people.
Of course, this is completely false because firstly, the blazes were categorically not a government conspiracy and secondly, the theorists have completely misinterpreted The Simpsons episode.
This time around The Simpsons didn’t predict anything (Picture: Disney)
In the episode, a beam of blazing light scorches across Springfield, wreaking havoc and destruction, causing fires that wipe out entire buildings.
However, the blazes were not the result of a directed-energy weapon but the unveiling of a new statue in the town made out of a material that reflected sunlight, therefore causing the fires.
So, there we have it.
Dozens have been killed in Hawaii and the death count is still rising (Picture: Getty/AFP)
Fires broke out on the island of Maui earlier in August (Picture: Getty)
The Simpsons has, though, seemingly predicted some future events including Elon Musk rebranding Twitter to X and even Greta Gerwig’s ‘feminist’ reimagining of Barbie in the Margot Robbie film.
In June, viewers were stunned when a 2016 episode seemed to foreshadow the Titanic submersible tragedy, which followed Homer as he lost consciousness and oxygen during an underwater excursion.
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The long-running show also predicted the London Symphony Orchestra performance of Cypress Hill almost three decades after the joke was made on the sitcom.
The Simpsons is available to stream on Disney Plus
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Spoiler: they are very wrong.