How and in what chronological order did different transistor biasing circuits arise?
The world of vacuum tubes also has a variety of biasing methods, including the "grid leak" method where SOME grid current is assumed.

Chances are there is nothing new under the sun, for bipolar biasing.

Examine Tube Manuals (RCA, Sylvania) and the TV_repair packets (SAMS) for those 300 watt TVs. 

Bipolars are just like vacuum tubes:


amplification comes from Transconductance * Load_Impedance
Miller Effect eats up your high frequency energy
The Early Effect in bipolars is much worse in triodes, and much reduced in pentodes, but that slope of I_V output characteristics is a part of all design in_the_trenches.
the distortion is strongly affected by biasing