The first person to use reinforced concrete was Joseph Monier, who was a Parisian gardener who used concrete with iron mesh. This added tensile strength to concrete and made it more able to withstand heavy loads.
Some contractors use polyurethane resins instead of concrete to mudjack a foundation. As the resin hardens and expands, gas bubbles trapped in the material combine with the expanding resin to lift and stabilize a sinking foundation.
You may consider concrete construction a modern invention, but concrete, or aggregate material mixed with a binder (cement), has been used in building for centuries. Even the pyramids in Egypt used a crude type of concrete to fill gaps and cracks.
The dangers posed by a shifting foundation needs to be evaluated in terms of the foundation’s wall height and its construction as well as any threat that the structure may be pulled apart or collapse.
When concrete needs to have high tensile strength-to-weight parameters, consider ferrocement. This is high-water hydraulic concrete that has been reinforced with small wire mesh, rather than with rebar or other large reinforcements.
Do not let extremes of heat or cold bring your project to a halt. Installing manufactured concrete products means always moving forward, because weather vagaries have no impact since the materials have already cured.