S07E01 · Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two · (1995)
Solar vs. Oil Monopoly
The Simpsons Episode · 1995
Mr. Burns builds a device to block the sun and protect fossil fuel monopolies from solar energy.
What Really Happened · 2023
Oil industry lobbying against solar subsidies intensified as renewables hit cost parity with fossil fuels.
2023
28
years between the episode airing and the real-world event.
The Simpsons aired S07E01 in 1995.
The real event occurred in 2023.
The Full Story
In 'Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One', Mr. Burns constructs a giant sun-blocking disk above Springfield to plunge the town into permanent darkness — eliminating free solar energy and forcing residents onto his paid electricity grid, the explicit goal being to protect his fossil fuel monopoly. The oil and gas industry has spent hundreds of millions lobbying against solar subsidies and net metering laws; as solar hit grid cost parity in 2023, documented campaigns to suppress rooftop solar through utility regulation intensified across US state legislatures. Mr. Burns was the lobbyist all along.
By the Numbers
Solar vs. Oil Monopoly 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 S07E01 ("Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part Two"), which aired in 1995.
It was confirmed true in 2023.
Springfield Oracle collects and verifies every credible Simpsons prediction with primary source documentation.
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