After centuries of using metal coins,[1] paper currency made its first appearance in China[2] during the Tang dynasty (around the 10th century AD) and was later introduced to the west in the 17th century.[3] Also in the 17th century, people began to use checks[4] as a payment method, which grew in popularity from the 1800s to the early 1900s. To help streamline and centralize the multiple types of currency, the U.S. Congress passed the Federal Reserve Act in 1913.[5]