Humanoids became bipedal several million years ago, long before agriculture, fire-making, the wheel, or the industrial revolution developed. The timeline of key prehistoric milestones is as follows:southampton
The earliest bipedal hominins (genus Australopithecus) appeared around 4 to 6 million years ago.southampton
The genus Homo, including Homo habilis (the first tool-users), appeared about 2.8–2.4 million years ago.southampton
Modern Homo sapiens evolved about 300,000 years ago and lived as hunter-gatherers until the development of farming.wikipedia
The transition to agriculture (Neolithic Revolution) began roughly 12,000 years ago (ca. 10,000 BCE).npr+2
This means that the period from the appearance of modern humans to widespread farming was approximately 288,000 years.npr+1
The controlled use of fire dates back at least 400,000 to 1 million years ago, with clear evidence among early Homo species and widespread use by Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans by 50,000 years ago.southampton
The wheel was invented much later, with the earliest evidence of wheeled transport appearing around 5,500 years ago (ca. 3400 BCE) in Europe and the Near East.southampton
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the late 18th century (about 1760 CE).southampton
From bipedalism (~4–6 million years ago) to agriculture (~12,000 years ago): about 3,988,000–5,988,000 years.npr+1
From agriculture to the wheel: about 6,500 years (from 12,000 BP to 5,500 BP).npr+1
From the wheel to the Industrial Revolution: about 5,000 years (from 3,400 BCE to 1760 CE).southampton
From fire making to farming: at least 388,000 years (using the 400,000-year fire estimate and 12,000 BP farming).npr+1
| Milestone | Approximate Date | Years Before Next Milestone [next] |
|---|---|---|
| Bipedalism | 4–6 million years ago | ~2.5 million (to Homo genus/tool-use) southampton |
| Hunter-gatherer Homo sapiens | ~300,000 years ago | ~288,000 (to farming) wikipedia+1 |
| Agriculture begins | ~12,000 years ago | ~6,500 (to wheel) npr+1 |
| Invention of wheel | ~5,500 years ago | ~5,000 (to Industrial Rev.) southampton |
| Industrial Revolution | ~1760 CE | - |
Each timeline transition represents monumental changes in technology, society, and human capabilities over "deep time".wikipedia+4