Were you to go back in time two years, you could see "When did people first think about the idea of time traveling ?" when the replies by /u/keyilan and /u/sunagainstgold were new.

There's an entire FAQ section, "Imagining The Future And Futurism" . (In the app, find it about halfway down.) I mention this in case you have other questions about how people in the past viewed the future.

This is intended as a starting point, not to discourage discussion. Further questions, data, and debate are welcome.