Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Fans Weirded Out By How 'Little House On The Prairie' Eerily Predicted The Current Pandemic

Fans Weirded Out By How 'Little House On The Prairie' Eerily Predicted The Current Pandemic
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

With so many people stuck inside, we're bound to rewatch things we haven't seen in a while.

I don't know about you, but there's something comforting about old shows like The Rockford Files and Sanford and Son.


And if the internet is to be believed, another popular rewatch is Little House on the Prairie.


However, if you were watching the show, hoping for an escape from our modern world and modern problems, I have some bad news. Fans are finding the show has episodes that are eerily reminiscent of our current circumstance.

There are two episodes in the classic series that deal with a deadly disease threatening the Ingalls family.

The episode "Plague" sees a bad case of typhus spread through the little town of Walnut Grove. The family patriarch Charles Ingalls, town pastor Rev. Alden, and local physician Doc Baker work to find the source of the disease as it continuously spreads.

The other episode is fittingly called "Quarantine" where Laura is possibly exposed to a case of a deadly mountain fever. She is forced to isolate from her family and community while the disease runs its course in Mr. Edwards and his adopted daughter, Alicia.

Sure, it's not exactly the same global problem we're currently dealing with.

But if you're watching a show trying to not think of our current situation, these will be absolutely jarring.




Little House on the Prairie is well known to show the difficulty of growing up in late 1800s.

The first of these episodes feels really painful as you see multiple people in the town perish. At one point, Charles Ingalls has to self-isolate from his family because he's unsure if he's been exposed to the possibly contagious disease.

The second of these episodes is very relatable. Since Laura enters a contaminated cabin without knowing the extent of the disease her friend Alicia has, and develops symptoms, she's forced to isolate with the little family.

It does a lot to show how it can feel to stay away from other people while you wait for a disease to runs its course.

Online, people find these episodes eerily prescient.




The fact these episodes do so much to show what happens during a pandemic is not super surprising. Viral outbreaks are a relatively common occurrence in human history, and since the expanded study on the germ theory of disease in the early 1800s, we've learned how to reduce their spread.

Without a vaccine or expanded testing to know who does and does not have the disease, you need to take precautions.

Keep social distancing, wash your hands often, and stay home if you are able.

This has been going on a long time, but maybe you can pass the time with an old television show.

More from Trending

Screenshot of Stephen Colbert
CBS

Stephen Colbert Makes Somber Plea To Americans In Wake Of Charlie Kirk's Death

Late-night host Stephen Colbert had a somber message for Americans as he addressed the assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, stressing that "political violence only leads to more political violence."

Kirk died after an unidentified gunman shot him in the neck as he—ironically enough—mocked victims of gun violence at an event in Utah Valley State University. Kirk's murder has galvanized the far-right, with President Donald Trump and his surrogates claiming without evidence that rhetoric from Democrats is responsible for Kirk's death.

Keep ReadingShow less
a woman sunbathing on rocks.
a person sitting on a towel on a beach
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

People Share The Weirdest Flexes They Heard Someone Say With A Straight Face

It is never attractive to gloat.

Even so, some people can't help but brag, or "flex" as it is sometimes known, about certain accomplishments or attributes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @thedowntheredoc's TikTok video
@thedowntheredoc/TikTok

TikToker Hilariously Calls Out Target After Champion Pants Feature Awkwardly-Placed Front Pleat

Sometimes you can just tell when something was designed *for* women, but was not actually designed *by* women.

Take, for instance, the new pleated pants available at Target from the Champion clothing line. While there's nothing wrong with pleated pants and they certainly have a suitable spot in the workplace, the latest rendition of Champion pleated pants are, shall we say, NSFW.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @kaicutch's Instagram video
@kaicutch/Instagram

Woman Flips Her Car After Belting Out Ironic Britney Spears Lyric In Wild Viral Video

Whether we want to admit it or not, we've all had our fair share of carpool karaoke and maybe even imagined our car as our own personal recording studio.

But TikToker and Instagrammer Kaitlynn McCutcheon may have gotten too into her performance of Britney Spears' classic, "Hit Me Baby, One More Time," when the road and her car both said, "Bet."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from ​@lynnshazeen's TikTok video
@lynnshazeen/TikTok

Woman Goes Viral After Revealing How Her Obsession With Matcha Landed Her In The Hospital

Let's be honest: Too much of anything isn't good for us. It's all about the balance!

But the media and social media trends have taught us that certain things are really good for us, encouraging us to be like the "very mindful and very demure" girls and take care of ourselves. One such example is drinking more matcha, especially if you really like coffee or think you have a caffeine addiction.

Keep ReadingShow less