When I first saw this question, I thought it was an interesting question to ask. I had never thought about who invented walking or how walking started.
As it turns out, this is a very important question because most anthropologists see bipedalism or walking on two legs as a defining characteristic of modern humans and their ancestors.
Human remains have been found in Ethiopia of humans who lived over 4 million years ago. From these remains, we can see that these humans were walking upright. Humans have been walking on two legs for millions of years. Our ability to walk has helped us survive as a human race.
When And How Was Walking Invented?
We do not know who invented walking as humans have been able to walk for millions of years. In fact, in 1994, the first fossil of an unknown human was found in Ethiopia.
This discovery was of an adult female individual who dated back between 4.2 and 4,4 million years. We can safely say that we, as human beings, have been walking for millions of years.
The scientist and anthropologists know that their findings of the remains were human because the structure of the foot and the bones was very different than apes or monkeys as we know them today.
Scientists have learned from this discovery that the gait or how these humans walked may have been different than our own, but they still walked upright.
Who Invented Walking?
We do not know who invented walking but we know that walking upright allows humans to run and use their hands while walking or running. .
If you believe in the Bible and the story of Adam and Eve, then we can suppose that Adam and Eve walked upright. There would have been no reason for them to walk on their hands and feet as it would have significantly slowed them down.
Why Do Humans Walk On Two Legs?
Scientists claim that humans can walk on two legs as one of the critical factors in human survival and development. In other words, walking on two legs helped humans to be able not just to survive but thrive.
Here are some reasons why our ability as human beings to walk on two legs is important:
- Saves Energy – If you have ever tried to walk on your feet and hands, you will know how much energy it takes to do that. Walking on two legs has helped us to be able to save energy.
- Allows Us To Run -Walking on two legs also allows us to run. In the early days, human beings would have had to be able to outrun animals who were after them.
- Frees Up Our Arms – Walking alows us to use our arms so that we could carry things. We can also use our arms for activities like hunting, crafting simple tools, and interacting with other objects.
- Allows Us To Travel Through Water – Walking on two legs allows humans to travel through water. Even if the early humans could not swim, they could still travel through streams and other bodies of water because they could walk upright.
- Less Exposure To Sun – By walking upright, we also have less exposure to the sun. Face it; if you want to get a good suntan, you will lie down and not stand up. The early humans had less exposure to the sun as they were walking upright.
- Travel By Foot – Walking upright has allowed us to travel more easily by foot. We can carry things easier, and if needed, we could pull things to move from one place to the next.
- More Straightforward To Build Things – Walking on two legs allowed humans to build things more manageable, such as a hut or a place to stay.
As we can see from this list, walking has long been essential to our survival as human beings. Because we can walk, use our hands, build a house as we need to, and travel as required, walking has helped ensure human survival.
And one of the reasons we have been able to do that has been through our ability to walk. When babies are born, they first learn to crawl, then begin to walk after a while. Nobody teaches the baby to walk, but the baby instinctively knows to start walking on two legs.
The parents may be there to cheer the child on as they begin to take their first two steps, but the baby instinctively knows they want to stop crawling and walk on their two legs.
That is why we can say that walking is a natural part of who we are. It is a part of being human. And it is what makes us stand out and become different from other animal species. Walking on two legs is a vital part of being human.
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