Over the last three centuries, treatment of hip arthritides has evolved from rudimentary surgery to modern total hip arthroplasty (THA), which is considered one of the most successful surgical interventions ever developed. We here review the history of the early hip arthroplasty procedures for hip arthritis that preceded Charley total hip arthroplasty. An evaluation of such past enterprises is relevant, and reminds us of the ephemeral nature of human industriousness, and how medical research and procedures are not isolated developments, but correlate to the social, economical, and cultural framework of their time.