Fire pistons were first recorded by white man in Malaysia in the 19th century. According to the inhabitants they'd had them for ages by then, although they didn't know how long. They are frequently found in the same cultures that use the blowpipe, suggesting a common origin. Perhaps one day someone tried to clean out a length of bambo, but accidentally left one end sealed. When they shoved a rag down there with a stick, perhaps it caught on fire. Who knows.
They are at least as old as the technology found in things like the "Hudson Bay tinderbox".
The charm in learning the fire piston is exactly the same as what you get from any other traditional firelighting technique. Although many are made from modern materials, it definitely is not a modern technique.
Rumour has it Mr. Diesel saw a Malaysian fire piston in a museum shortly before he went on to invent an engine you may have heard about
It utilises exactly the same principle - compression of a piston results in flash ignition through increasing air pressure.