What are the differences between time(medieval age, the industrial revolution, etc.) people(Europeans/Americans for example) and culture (Islamic, Christian culture)? Who was (partly) right and who was totally wrong? Can these thoughts be explained based on events in history?
Here is a cute series of illustrations from 1910. What is particularly charming about these illustrations (and common to many others of the type) is how they can be so prescient about certain advancements, yet so blind to others.
For example, here are the soldiers of 2000, heading off to war. As you can see, the futurist has correctly deduced that the military of the future will be highly mechanized and mobile. But they will still be using sabers and crested helms, and the roads will still be unpaved country lanes.
Here you have the architect of 2000, making buildings using a computer. But the computer will still be hammering and chiseling blocks of stone.
This futurist even predicted e-learning! Except, for some reason the teaching machine has to be hand-cranked by one unfortunate student. Perhaps the resemblance to a meat grinder was a sly commentary...
Thankfully, this nightmarish barbershop contraption never came to pass.
Herman Kahn, who wrote "On Thermonuclear war" and had the ear of many in power in the 60s and 70s wrote a great snapshot of this thinking in 1967. The height of a period where so much science fiction became science.
https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Year_2000.html?id=VJotAAAAMAAJ Here were his list of the most likely developments It is worth mentioning, quite a few others were way off.
Multiple applications of lasers. Extreme high-strength structural materials. New or improved superperformance fabrics. New or improved materials for equipment and appliances. New airborne vehicles (ground-effect vehicles, giant or supersonic jets, VTOL, STOL). Extensive commercial applications of shaped-charge explosives. More reliable and longer-range weather forecasting. Extensive and/or intensive expansion of tropical agriculture and forestry. New sources of power for fixed installations. New sources of power for ground transportation. The remaining ninety predictions included: