Perhaps it all started with a simple discussion of the best way to mow a lawn on a British country estate. Up until the early 19th century, lawn mowing was accomplished primarily by grazing animals like sheep and by using scythes wielded by paid laborers. The first true lawn mower was a big improvement on sheep and scythes, but its resemblance to today's power mowers stops at the handle used to push it. If we compare today's push reel mowers to the earliest Budding mowers, we discover they are surprisingly unchanged. Let's take a look at the evolution of lawn mowers.