The writers behind The Simpsons have struck again.
Their uncanny prophetic abilities were reaffirmed on July 11, when Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson made his voyage into space.
Branson’s journey was forecast by Fox’s long-running animated comedy back in the 15th installment of Season 25, which aired on March 23, 2014.
In the episode, titled “The War of Art,” art forger Klaus Ziegler (voiced by the late Max von Sydow) boasts about his work to Lisa Simpson (Yeardley Smith), claiming that his forgeries “give pleasure to people all over the world.”
Numerous cutaways prove his point. Among them is one of Branson, who is seen admiring a painting, while floating in the interior of a spaceship.
The billionaire’s expedition is the latest in a series of real-world happenings predicted by The Simpsons, during its 30-plus years on the air. Others include the 2003 Siegfried and Roy tiger attack, Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and the presidency of Donald Trump.
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Branson rocketed into sub-orbital space nine days prior to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his aerospace manufacturer Blue Origin.
He was released at an altitude of 53 miles, enjoying several minutes of weightlessness on his VSS Unity rocketplane, before making a safe return to Earth.
“It was the complete experience of a lifetime,” he said of his trek toward the stars. “Now looking down at the spaceport, congratulations to everybody for creating such a beautiful plane and all the hard work for getting us this far.”
Bezos heads to space on July 20, which marks the 52nd anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. He will be joined in his travels by aviation pioneer Wally Funk, his brother Mark Bezos and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen.