Going back in time to places like South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and other older civilizations people have cut and shaped stone or made some form of tile so you might say those places have been manufacturing, bartering and selling these products for just a few more years than we have in the good old US of A.
Look at just a small part of the evolution of modern day tile and stone use: Early man figured out how to turn mud into walls and bake squares—bricks—out in the sun for building housing and other structures. The Egyptians learned to cut various stones for housing, temples and pyramids.