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Since the beginning of time, the human race has made giant leaps forward in the way we live our lives. These big changes are referred to as revolutions.

Human development has been made possible through the emergence and understanding of new technologies. These have gone on to shape civilisations for the centuries that followed and even influence the way we live our lives today.

According to archaeologists the Neolithic Revolution dates back as far as 11,000 years ago.

Early civilisations relied mostly on hunting and gathering as a means of acquiring food and sustaining themselves so they lived mainly in nomadic tribes.

However, during the Neolithic Revolution, new ideas and lifestyles would emerge transforming how future civilisations would live. It saw the earliest recorded emergence of agriculture as a means of food production. Rather than moving and searching for food, tribes began to settle in favourable locations and work the land, choosing suitable plants to grow and harvest.

These primary civilisations began growing cereals such as barley and wheat as a source of food and would later move on to domesticating animals such as goats and sheep to produce milk and meat.

It is still unclear what the driving force behind this change was. Many believe that a growth in population made it difficult to feed people by hunting and gathering. The change also meant that the young and elderly could contribute to the production of food.

These early societies are said to have originated in the Middle East in areas with a favourable climate that were also located close to rivers or other water sources.

The Neolithic or agricultural revolution is a change that led to people beginning to live in houses and trading with one another, bringing about the creation of villages and towns for the very first time.

The Industrial Revolution between 1760 and 1840 is an important and influential time in Great Britain's history. It saw the emergence of heavy industries and a transition to machine-powered manufacturing in factories instead of producing things by hand.

The invention of the steam engine during the 18th century led to the introduction of railway networks across the country in the 19th century. The railways led to an increase in the transport of goods from towns to ports for export. It also made it easier for people to travel.

The introduction of steam engines also revolutionised the way in which factories and mills operated. They had previously relied on the use of wind, water or horses for energy but these could be unreliable. For example, the wind might not always blow. Factories would previously have needed to be built beside a river, but steam power allowed factories to be located anywhere. It was reliable all year round and could be used to power much larger machines.

As more and more factories were built in urban areas, more people migrated to the larger towns and cities looking for regular work and a higher income than what they could earn in rural areas. This rise in population in towns and cities meant more housing was needed for workers and this led to the construction of terraced houses located close to the factories.

These urban areas were notable for their poor living conditions. As these areas expanded so quickly people were crammed together into tiny living spaces. Although the newly crowded cities were rife with disease, the country's population continued to grow, due to overall health improvements and better diets as a result of better food production. Other factors, such as an increase in marriages and birth rates, could also be responsible for the rapid growth in the population.

The technological revolution, also known as the Digital Revolution, is the most recent revolution and started in the late 20th century.

There has been a move away from traditional mechanical manufacturing. We have now become increasingly reliant on technology for production and communication. The introduction of computers, microprocessors, digital mobile phones and the internet is at the very centre of this revolution. They have played a key role, moving us into what is known as the information age.

Work had begun in the late 1960s to create a platform of interconnected computer networks but the world was not introduced to the world wide web until 1989. This information system, devised by the English scientist Tim Berners-Lee, allowed its users to share and access documents through the internet. In 1991, what we now refer to as the web, was made available to the public having only previously been used by the government and universities.

Since 1995, the internet has had a huge impact on our culture and way of life and we are now able to:

• communicate almost instantly through email and instant messaging
• engage with others through discussion forums, blogs, and social networks
• use online shopping sites

The internet has seen a huge rise in its usage. The number of global internet users increased from 16 million in 1995 to over a billion by 2005. This growth is still continuing today with a recent estimate that there were over 5 billion internet users at the end of 2020. This equates to 65 percent of the world's population.

We have also begun to see the transformation of jobs and skills as fewer people are inclined to work in labour intensive jobs and are now required to have a reasonable level of skill in computing and using software.

We are also seeing a big change in banking and retail as more and more people are choosing to take their business online. This can have a negative impact on the high street as more and more shops close due to a decrease in business.

Cyber security is also becoming an issue, something we are becoming increasingly aware of, given that almost all essential public services and private information are now online.

• It has become easier and more efficient for companies to interact with other businesses internationally.
• Information can be broadcast and found quickly.
• Communication with friends and family can be done instantly from all over the world.
• More convenient for people who live a busy lifestyle as they can now buy clothes/groceries online.
• More jobs created in newer industries like phone/game development.
• Newer technologies can boost productivity and have an impact on the economy.

• High street shops may suffer as more and more people choose to buy online - a service that some shops can’t provide.
• People's personal information is at risk of being found and used.
• Change in illegal activity to cyber crime/terrorism.
• Greater use of technology can have a negative impact on people’s physical and mental health.