This 1997 Archie Comic Predicted Schooling In 2021 And Twitter Is Stunned

The Simpsons, it would seem, does not have the monopoly on eerily accurate predictions. An Archie Comics strip from 1997 currently has the Internet abuzz, for it seems to have correctly predicted what schooling would look like in the the year 2021. 

Last year, several schools and educational institutes across the world made the switch from traditional classrooms to online learning as the pandemic necessitated social distancing. As a result, for almost a year now, many students have been attending classes using their laptops, desktops or phones at home. 

An Archie Comics issue from almost 25 years ago is now going viral for predicting the switch to remote learning. 

The strip, shared by the official Twitter account of Archie Comics yesterday, was originally published in a February 1997 issue of the now-discontinued Betty series. It shows Betty Cooper's life imagined in "2021 AD".

In the comic strip, Betty is seen attending classes using a computer at home. Aside from the futuristic outfits worn by Betty and her parents, the comic strip hits pretty close to home - even featuring a "Video monitor must remain uncovered at all times" sign that many are sure to find totally relatable.

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[Originally published in Betty #46, Feb. 1997] pic.twitter.com/UNwjBa2gFe

— Archie Comics (@ArchieComics) March 16, 2021

Since being shared yesterday, the comic strip has exploded online, racking up more than 27,000 'likes' and hundreds of stunned comments.

That comic is shockingly prescient about online schooling: "Video monitor must remain uncovered at all times". I was a bit suspicious that this must be a hoax, but I verified that Betty #46 really did have Betty as "a student in the futuristic classrooms of 2021."

— Ken Shirriff (@kenshirriff) March 16, 2021

The Simpsons """""Predictions""""" have NOTHING on this

— Deeeeeeeeeee (@ThatOneDeePFP) March 16, 2021

Ha! That's pretty close. Except for the entire emotional context around it. And the hardware.

— Tracy Thomas Wilson (@tracytwilson) March 17, 2021

Last year, an early episode of The Simpsons generated a similar buzz after social media users pointed out that it came close to predicting the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.