the idea for a distributed cryptocurrency goes back to the late 90s cypherpunks mailing lists, particularly wei dai and his project b-money: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Wei_Dai#b-money

bitcoin wasn't the first iteration of cryptocurrency; it was just the first successful one. there were several failed projects that came before it.

some important milestones from its early history: https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Category:History

as for the future.........i'd say there are a primarily two possibilities: mass adoption or fading away into obscurity. which path bitcoin takes is still undetermined, hence why people are so polarized about it's future. they either think it's the future or they think it's a passing fad like beanie babies or tulips.