The March of Progress is based on a 1965 illustration by Rudolph Zallinger, originally titled The Road to Homo Sapiens, which depicts millions of years of human evolution in a linear sequence. While scientifically criticized for implying evolution is a straight line, it became one of the most recognizable scientific images in history. In internet culture, the parody version usually subverts the progress aspect, often showing the final human figure devolving back into an ape or transitioning into something modern and mundane, like a desk worker, a gamer, or a digital consumer. It is widely used to comment on social decline, technological obsession, or specific niche hobbyist progressions.