Final answer:
The concept of dark energy has its roots in Albert Einstein's introduction of the cosmological constant in 1917, which he later considered a mistake after the expansion of the universe was observed. However, Einstein did not explicitly predict dark energy; this understanding developed much later.
Step-by-step explanation:
The prediction of dark energy was not explicitly made in 1917; however, the seeds for the concept were inadvertently planted by Albert Einstein. When Einstein added the cosmological constant to his equations of general relativity as a 'fudge factor,' he was attempting to maintain a static universe. This act indirectly related to what would much later be understood as dark energy. Though he later considered adding the cosmological constant a blunder, after the expanding universe was observed, it turns out the cosmological constant is analogous to what we describe today as dark energy. While Georges Lemaître and Edwin Hubble provided crucial insights and observations regarding the expansion of the universe, and Fritz Zwicky contributed to the concept of dark matter, the specific prediction of dark energy in relation to a force counteracting gravity was not made by these scientists in 1917.