History Main / RetroactivePrecognition

* In ''Literature/FlightoftheSilvers'' one extremely rare temporal power is this. Loopers like Ethan can send their consciousness back in time to a past self, allowing them to relive history and make new decisions based on prior knowledge.

* The ''MagicTreeHouse'' book ''Civil War on Sunday'' has a minor example in Jack telling a wounded soldier that someday the war will end and so will slavery. The soldier then asks him if he can see the future, to which Jack replies "In a way."

* Doctor Strange in ''FanFic/ChildOfTheStorm'' does this [[{{Pun}} all the time,]] to the point where it's impossible to figure out how much of his foreknowledge is due to this and how much to ''actual'' precognition. This trope, combined with total mastery of the BatmanGambit, lets him basically run the plot [[TheGhost from mostly offscreen]].

* In ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', Magus ends up in the past (ironically, coexisting with himself when he was a young boy), and uses his knowledge of the future (which he experienced as a young boy) to gain himself the position of a prophet in the royal palace.

A variation is a character who is TrappedInThePast before their actual date of birth, but in a period that they are familiar with from history books. They may also be able to make use of a ConvenientEclipse if they remember the exact date when it is due to happen.

* In modern age comics [[TheFlash Barry Allen]] and many of his family member know the future, at least in vague terms, due to spending so much time in the 31st century. Barry himself was able to make use of this knowledge even after his death by time traveling to important events while he was still alive.

* Kevyn Andreyasn in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' travels back in time with a database of news reports and other information, after saving the galaxy he uses lottery numbers to make a lot of money (which ends up getting him in trouble with TheMob). The version of Kevyn from the past uses stock market information from the same database to also make a lot of money (which mostly gets spent saving Tagon).

* Kevyn Andreyasn in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' travels back in time with a database of how the stock market develops and is able to make a lot of money. Kevyn Andreyasn from the past later finds lottery numbers in the same database.

* In ''Literature/TimeEnoughForLove'', this is how archprotagonist Lazarus Long hopes to survive and prosper in the 1920's United States, since that's when he grew up and he has extensive period and personal knowledge of the era. Two things foil him: first, he arrives too early due to a miscalculation and winds up in 1916, on the cusp of U.S. involvement in WorldWarOne. Second, he falls in love with his mother Maureen and, in a [[LoveMakesYouDumb misguided attempt to impress her]], enlists in the army. However, he does entrust to Maureen a wealth of information on the future history of the United States in that timeline, allowing her to quietly abet several key events that help things [[YouAlreadyChangedThePast turn out the way they should]].

* This is the TwistEnding to ''[[http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2009/11/10/scenes-from-an-alternate-universe-where-the-beatles-accepted-lorne-michaels-generous-offer/ Scenes From An Alternate Universe Where The Beatles Accepted Lorne Micheal's Generous Offer]]''. [[spoiler: Ringo managed to go back in time and tell his past self what to do in order to bring the Beatles back together. It ends with the new Ringo doing it again, in order to make an even better universe.]]

* Layla Miller of ''XFactor'' knows stuff because [[spoiler: a version of herself traveled eighty years into the future and learned stuff and then told her past self.]]

* A GroundhogDayLoop version of this happens in ''TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask''. Learning where everyone in Termina is going to be during the three days you're in Termina is crucial to some of the sidequests.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Kevyn Andreyasn in SchlockMercenary travels back in time with a database of how the stock market develops and is able to make a lot of money. Kevyn Andreyasn from the past later finds lottery numbers in the same database.

* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'' gives us [[spoiler: Rika]], with emphasis of the frightening.

->''I already went further ahead in time to see what else happens. I've backtracked everything to this one event, that's why we're here today to prevent this incident from ever happening!''
-->--'''Doctor Emmett Brown''', Film/BackToTheFuture II

* Literature/TimeScout's scouts and guides really want to take advantage of this. They want to see and observe important historical events first hand. In the series, the only time it's deliberately taken advantage of is by the Ripper Watch Team, finally learning who JackTheRipper was.

* [[spoiler:Akane]]'s attempts to use this trope to alter the timeline form the main plot of ''ZeroEscape''.

** Although it's debatable whether this is by comparison to humanitys' future or to his native Gallifrey (which would make this more a case of [[CulturalPosturing Cultural Posturing]]).

* In ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' this is the first hit that something is wrong about Homura.

* In ''Film/GroundhogDay'', Phil lives through the day over and over again and thus knows everything that's going to happen that day.