I know that early depictions of the future (Around the classical and medieval periods) tended to portray the future as almost identical to the classical or medieval period in terms of technological advancement.

Same thing was true of depictions of the past, with many Roman stories set during the Bronze Age making mention of steel weapons, and medieval churches depicting biblical scenes with (at the time) “modern” clothing and armor.

I understand that a lot of this was due to the fact that developments in the technological field tended to happen gradually, with major life-altering breakthroughs happening once per lifetime if even that.

My question is, when did people start believing that the future would be more advanced than the present?

How long was it until the public at large started to notice the vast progress that had been made over the years?