A black-and-white video is being shared on social media that apparently warned in 1956 about a future COVID-19 pandemic. Referring to the alleged creation date, some users claim that the footage is proof that the outbreak, which took the lives of more than 2.8 million people around the world, was planned. This is false: the composition of footage was created in 2020 and was intended as satire.
A post that has been shared more than 3,578 times here reads: ‘This 2 minute recording was made on February 29, 1956, 65 years ago! Listen carefully to the last 30 seconds of this recording … Sounds familiar? ” Another repetition can be seen here. Comments include: “WOW WELL PLANNED AND FORECASTING HUH” and “64 years of predictive programming !?”
The track, made like an old public service announcement (PSA), begins with a text on the screen that reads: ‘Avoid the future plague’ with a date stamp of ’29 February 1956 ‘. About 90 seconds after the clip, the voice-over says: “Experts predict that by 2020 a new virus will emerge and spread from somewhere in Asia to the rest of the world.”
The full 4:15 minute video was posted here on YouTube on February 29, 2020. Almost a month earlier, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international health emergencies (here).
In the description of the video is the creator, Max Patrick Schlienger, who identifies himself on social media as “RamsesThePigeon” ( twitter.com/RamsesThePigeon ) said he “threw it together because I wanted to upload a video on February 29” and that the recording contained ‘archive and public domain material’.
In a Reddit entry dated October 6, 2020 (here), the creator further explained that the ‘satirical piece’ was intended to ‘glorify the anti-scientific perspectives that emerged at the time’.
Schlienger told Reuters in an email that he was a little discouraged that his work was still being used for dishonest purposes. “My hope is that it will entertain people and hopefully do them good,” he said.
Reuters has unleashed other social media posts claiming the COVID-19 pandemic was “predicted” (here, here, here, here).
VERDICT
Untrue. An 1956 video does not predict the COVID-19 outbreak. The compilation of footage was created in 2020 and was intended as satire.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.