I really can’t help but think of the simulation hypothesis. What are the chances this copy-cat technology was developed when I was alive, given that it keeps going.
Given that we only hit the first billion people in 1804 and the second billion in 1927 it's not all that shocking.
But this is also just the non-intuitiveness of exponential growth which has only now tapering off.
You could go back to Lucy and add only a few million. Compared to the billions at this specific instant, it just doesn't make a difference.