Did A Classic 1997 ‘Archie’ Comic Predict Virtual Learning In 2021?

When it comes to predicting the future, “The Simpsons” is eerily good at it.  But this time, it wasn’t the FOX animated sitcom that saw into the future and predicted the idea of virtual learning.

Fans recently uncovered that Archie Comics published a story about Betty and her friends attending virtual school in 2021. After gaining buzz on social media and Reddit, the official Archie Comics page confirmed that the comic was authentic and released in 1997. Per the post, the 6-page story was first printed in issue #46 of the “Betty” series in February 1997 and originally titled “Betty in High School 2021 A.D.”

In the story, Betty uses a computer to attend school virtually from the comfort of her bedroom. Eventually, Betty, along with Veronica, Archie, and Jughead, pay a visit to Riverdale High School, which has been turned into a museum, to get an idea of what in-person learning used to be like. Archie Comics notes that when the story was reprinted in 2015, the year in the title changed from “2021” to “2104” likely because the authors were slightly off about their prediction of flying cars.

While virtual learning was definitely foreseen for the year 2021, Archie Comics didn’t include anything about a pandemic, which is what led to remote learning in the first place.  However, not to worry because “The Simpsons” seemingly predicted the pandemic during an episode that aired in 1993.