You will not find such a thing. Economic progress before the Industrial Revolution was slow, but not zero. The further back you go the better the last 200 years look, and the impact of every major war and famine becomes less and less notable. TFA is not cherry picking.
Why do you assume that well being is the same as economic progress? Look, I like indoor plumbing as much as the next guy, but it isn't the only contributor to my well-being.
