I’m concerned that your earliest example is in 1896. People have been thinking about the future for more than 100 years. Here you indicate that you believe early examples are less relevant than recent examples. I disagree. Looking a single timeframe reduces the robustness of your investigation, and I believe that greater familiarity with the recent past often biases people to underestimate the relevance of the far past.
I’m concerned that your earliest example is in 1896. People have been thinking about the future for more than 100 years. Here you indicate that you believe early examples are less relevant than recent examples. I disagree. Looking a single timeframe reduces the robustness of your investigation, and I believe that greater familiarity with the recent past often biases people to underestimate the relevance of the far past.