The Simpsons has been at the cutting edge of popular culture for a quarter of a century - but do Springfield's most famous residents have the ability to predict the future?

According to Internet conspiracy theorists, the simple answer is yes.

They claim the world famous TV series predicted the Ebola crisis back in a 1997 episode in which Marge tries to coax a sick Bart out of bed, as proof.

She suggests he reads a book before producing one entitled 'Curious George and the Ebola Virus'.

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Conspiracy theorists have pointed to these clips in The Simpsons for its apparent ability to foresee the Ebola crisis which now threatens to become a pandemic as the US records its first victim.

According to Internet conspiracy theorists, a 1997 episode from season nine of the popular cartoon, features Marge trying to coax a sick Bart into reading 'Curious George and the Ebola Virus'

The book's cover shows a monkey lying in bed. The monket has long been suspected of being a carrier of the virus which has now made its way to America and claimed its first victim, Eric Thomas Duncan

Marge then asks if Bart would like 'to color something', to which he replies: 'I already did', and points to an apocalyptic drawing of a dead Bart surrounded by blood and bodies with the sun and clouds crying

She then asks if he would like 'to color something', to which he replies: 'I already did', and points to an apocalyptic drawing of a dead Bart surrounded by blood and bodies with the sun and clouds appearing to cry.

The clip appeared on a YouTube channel called the Controversy7 where the host discusses the Ebola virus among various other theories about the power of the Hollywood film industry.

The presenter of the site, Emmanuel Lokonga, wrote: 'Is there something we are not being told? Is it by pure chance & coincidence that the Simpsons would do predictive programming?'

The YouTube commentators were split on Mr Lokonga's theory. VSR wrote: 'US Government has had ebola vaccines for a couple of years now. Look it up.'

Sourjouneth Truth added: Thank you so very much for this video! Very good information. You have done an excellent job on this. Puppets on their strings, they think. NOT! Our Father has His Children's Backs. The rest of the story is being written and the fate of the evil is predetermined. Read Psalms 73.'

However some skepticism came from Jayden Morpeth, who commented: 'You realize the Ebola virus has been around for a long time it just hasn't be as serious as it is now.'

The episode where the Ebola book appeared was called Lisa's Sax and first aired on October 19, 1997.

Despite the apparent chilling prediction from The Simpsons, Ebola was already well-known as a havoc-wreaking deadly virus in the late Nineties.

Ebola was discovered in 1976 following major outbreaks that year in the Sudan and Zaire. In the 1990s, the disease saw a resurgence with an outbreak in Gabon in 1994, followed by another in Zaire in 1995.

It could be said that other than the current Ebola crisis, the worst in recorded history, The Simpsons episode actually predicted the outbreak which occurred three years after the show aired.

Between 2000-2004, close to 500 people died from Ebola in Uganda, Gabon, the Republic of Congo and Sudan.

The current outbreak, which began last December, has so far killed more than 3,800 people, according to the latest World Health Organization figures.

The vast majority of those deaths have been in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. On Wednesday a Liberian man, Eric Thomas Duncan, became the first Ebola victim to die on US soil. On Thursday a British man died from suspected Ebola in Macedonia.

The Simpsons episode called Lisa's Sax aired on October 19, 1997 - and appeared to hold a chilling prediction about the future