A blind clairvoyant who allegedly predicted 9/11 and Brexit made several hair-rising predictions for 2022.
Nicknamed the Nostradamus of the Balkans, Baba Vanga claimed to have received a fortune-telling gift from God after going blind as a child. Many people believe her visions continue to come true even after her death in 1996.
The Bulgarian mystic foresaw natural disasters, famine and an alien invasion. But how much of that happened? We checked out each of her six terrifying prophecies to see if there was anything that came true.
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Virtual reality would take over, with people spending more time than ever in front of screens
There hasn’t been a dramatic takeover of virtual reality this year. Virtual reality (VR) experienced a huge rise during the pandemic years but VR headset sales reportedly shrank in 2022.
Leading global provider Deloitte made their own predictions recently, saying that 2023 will be the year of VR instead. They also predict that the VR market will generate global revenues of $7 billion (almost £6 billion) in 2023, up 50 per cent from $4.7 billion in 2022.
Another pandemic will arise, this time discovered in Siberia, and it will be caused by a frozen virus released by climate change
No new pandemic in sight, although Covid cases are rising up and we’re all annoyed by the ongoing flu. Funnily enough, The Washington Post recently reported that ‘zombie’ viruses locked in Siberia’s frozen ground are thawing because of climate change, according to European researchers. However, virologists uninvolved in the research said viruses that survive the deep freeze for millennia aren’t usually in the highly infectious category. So no need to worry about that.
Famine will devastate India where temperatures will supposedly reach 50 degrees causing locusts to attack crops
There weren’t any reports about locust attacks we could find but there was a heatwave in India this year. The highest temperatures reached ‘only’ 45 °C however. The heatwave strongly impacted agriculture in the country, and combined with the soaring prices of food, energy and fertiliser on a global scale, people became hungrier. Six out of every 10 Indians were dependent on state-delivered subsidised food early this summer, Al Jazeera reported.
More earthquakes and tsunamis, with the mystic speaking of 'intense bouts of floods' in Australia and parts of Asia
There were some earthquakes this year. However, according to the US National Earthquake Information Center there are about 20,000 earthquakes around the globe each year, or approximately 55 per day. The deadliest earthquake was in Afghanistan and tragically killed over 1,100. There weren’t any major tsunamis either, with the biggest one – in the Pacific ocean – killing six.
When it comes to floods though, we all remember the floods that ravafed Pakistan, leaving cropland and villages under water. UNICEF reports that nearly 10 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate, lifesaving support.
Water shortages with political consequences as countries are forced to find alternatives
This one, sadly, didn’t need a psychic to predict it. This year, the World Economic Forum reported increases in droughts and floods across the world make water resources harder to manage. Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organisation reported that currently, 3.6 billion people face inadequate access to water at least a month per year and this is expected to increase to more than 5 billion by 2050.
Aliens will invade the planet by sending an asteroid to seek out life on Earth with an unfriendly outcome
We weren’t invaded by aliens this year, thankfully. A war in Europe, a cost-of-living crisis, climate change-caused catastrophes, and the lingering Covid-19 were more than enough for us - we did not need aliens on top of that as well. But should any aliens decide to send asteroids our way, NASA successfully knocked an asteroid off course this year so there’s that at least.
Many of Baba Vanga’s predictions, which run until 5079, have turned out to be false before. She predicted America’s 44th president (Barack Obama) would be their last one. If you enjoy reading spooky and dubious prophecies about the future, we have next year’s prediction ready for you . Just don’t take it too seriously.
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