The Simpsons Episode · 1993
A crate of killer bees is unleashed on the town during a pandemic.
What Really Happened · 2020
Asian giant 'murder hornets' were discovered in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020
The Full Story
In 'Marge in Chains', while Springfield is already reeling from the Osaka Flu pandemic, a crate containing a swarm of killer bees is accidentally smashed open during a riot, releasing them on the panicked town — a second catastrophe piling onto the first. In spring 2020, as COVID-19 swept the US, the first Asian giant 'murder hornets' were discovered in Washington State, triggering a second wave of public dread running parallel to the pandemic. Life imitated the episode's absurdist two-disaster structure.
Murder Hornets During a Pandemic is one of
70 verified Simpsons predictions
tracked by Springfield Oracle — a public database of documented cases where The Simpsons
foreshadowed real-world events. This prediction appeared in S04E21 ("Marge in Chains"), which aired in 1993.
It was confirmed true in 2020.
Springfield Oracle collects and verifies every credible Simpsons prediction with primary source documentation.
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