re: How did it come to pass that a president can invoke executive orders?

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but I would say, when Congress stopped actually operating as a legislative body.

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Absolutely this.

Congress abrogated its responsibility to legislate starting about 100 years ago. It's more easy to get reelected if you can off-load your controversial and painful legislative imperatives to a non-elected body like an Executive Agency.

So, that's what they did. Now, instead of Congress passing statutes, we have Executive Agencies promulgating Federal Regulations that have the force of law.

The die is cast and the Rubicon is crossed. If we as a society just begin now to notice a process that began 100 years ago, it's probably to late to do something about it now.

IMHO, it's too late now. The Executive will gather more and more power as the decades roll by.