I nā lā mua loa, ʻaʻohemīkini humuhumu, a ua humuhumu lima ia na ligatures, a o ka mea hana nui ia manawa he "needle". I ka wā Pōhaku, ua hoʻohana ʻia nā "neila pōhaku" a me nā "niila iwi" i hana ʻia me nā iwi holoholona. I ka makahiki Bronze i 7000 BC, ua hoʻohana ʻia nā nila keleawe. ʻO nā mea o nā nila keleawe he palupalu loa a ua pani ʻia e "nā nila hao". .
A hiki i ka Western Industrial Revolution i ke kenekulia 18, ua hoʻolaha ka hana nui o ka ʻoihana textile i ka mea hou a me ka hoʻomohala ʻana i nā mīkini humuhumu. I ka makahiki 1790, ua haku ka mea hana laau ma Amerika Huipuia i ka mīkini humuhumu lima kaula mua loa; i ka makahiki 1851, ua hoʻokumu ka mīkini ʻAmelika ʻo Rechak Meris Singer i ka mīkini humuhumu lima laka pālua a hoʻokumu i ka Hui Mekini Humuhumu Singer. . Ma hope mai, ua hoʻomaikaʻi ʻia ʻo ia i ʻano pedal, a ma hope o ka puka ʻana o ke kaʻa uila, ua kūkulu ʻo Singer i kahi mīkini humuhumu uila i ka makahiki 1889.
Ua hoʻolauna ʻo Kina i ka mīkini humuhumu mua mai ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa i ka makahiki 1890, a i ka makahiki 1928 ua hana ʻo Shanghai i ka mīkini humuhumu hale mua a me 44-13 mīkini humuhumu ʻoihana. I kēia manawa, ma waho aʻe o kekahi mau mīkini kiʻekiʻe i hoʻomalu ʻia e Iapana a me Kelemania, ʻo ka hoʻopuka a me ke kūʻai ʻana o nā mīkini humuhumu haʻahaʻa ua lōʻihi ka mua o ka honua.
I kēia mau lā, me ka hoʻohana ʻana i ka mīkini servo, stepper motor, pneumatic a me ka ʻenehana mana helu i ka mīkini humuhumu, ua like ia me ka lua o ka mīkini humuhumu kipi. Hoʻokō ʻia nā hana o ka hoʻololi ʻana i ka wikiwiki, ka mana hānai, ka ʻoki ʻana i ka milo maʻalahi, ka humuhumu hoʻihoʻi ʻana a me ka hāpai wāwae presser. ʻO ka hoʻolālā mechanical e maʻalahi, a me nā hana i ka naʻauao. Ua loaʻa nō hoʻi nā ʻano mea hana hou kiʻekiʻe a maʻalahi hoʻi, e like menā mīkini hoʻohālike, nā mīkini hoʻohālike, nā mīkini ʻoki ʻakomi,mīkini humuhumume nā papa hoʻoili waiwai, a pēlā aku. Ke neʻe nei ʻo ia i ka hana multi-machine hoʻokahi kanaka a me nā laina hana maʻalahi, a ʻo ka ʻike hope ʻana ʻaʻole ia he moeʻuhane.