Memoirs of the 20th Century (1733)
Irish writer Samuel Madden published this strange novel which consisted entirely of fake letters sent during the almost unfathomably far-off future of 1997 from various countries to the Lord High Treasurer of King George IV (who in real life would come into existence long before ‘90s Georges like Clooney and H.W. Bush). These letters are mostly used to detail the future socio-political landscape of the world, which he was worried would be ruled by those insidious Catholics and Jesuits. So, obviously, there’s not a ton of science here, but many scholars have noted this is the first use of time travel in English fiction, and maybe anywhere.
