| ~350 BCE | Aristotle | Described movement in animals; coined term "muscle" (Latin: musculus = little mouse) | First systematic description of movement |
| 1543 CE | Andreas Vesalius | Systematic anatomy of human muscles and bones (De Humani Corporis Fabrica) | Foundation of modern anatomy; replaced Galen's errors |
| 1630s | Galileo / Borelli | Mechanical analysis of muscle and lever systems | First biomechanical approach to locomotion |
| 1791 | Luigi Galvani | Showed electricity causes muscle contraction | Linked electrical activity to muscle function |
| 1890s | Wilhelm Kühne | Identified "myosin" and "actin" as muscle proteins | Named the contractile proteins |
| 1930s-40s | Albert von Euler | Isolated actin and myosin separately; showed ATP is needed | Biochemical basis of contraction established |
| 1942 | Albert von Euler | Showed actin + myosin + ATP → actomyosin contraction | First in vitro muscle-like contraction |
| 1954 | Andrew Huxley & Rolph Niedergerke; Hugh Huxley & Jean Hanson | Independently proposed the Sliding Filament Theory | Revolution — explained sarcomere structure + contraction; still the accepted model |
| 1969-1971 | Ebashi et al. | Discovered troponin-tropomyosin regulatory system | Explained Ca2+ role in regulating contraction |
| 1980s-90s | Cloning of DMD gene | Discovered dystrophin gene and protein | Explained Duchenne muscular dystrophy |
| 1990s | Multiple researchers | X-ray crystallography of myosin S1 fragment | Detailed molecular mechanism of power stroke |