Money is undoubtedly one of humanity's most important inventions in history because it connects people. Money (in the form of coins) has been around for 2,600 years, which isn't a very long time actually. Before coins were invented, money was taken in the form of paper, gold, silver, salt, cattle hide, and many other items. Each type of money was used for a different reason; for example, soldiers were generally paid with salt so that they could flavor their bland food instead of being paid with something useless, such as the Parisian singer Mademoiselle Zélie who received animals and food as payment for her performances. The coins first appeared on what we now know as the southern coast of Turkey in 640 BC. These coins were made of a natural alloy of gold and silver called electrum. King Midas was believed to have bathed in a river to try to wash away his golden touch and in doing so disposed of a fortune in the river. The Lydians who lived there for some time learned to separate ancient silver and created coins from the metal. Standardized coins spread throughout Europe and played an important role in its scientific and cultural development. Gold and silver played a central role in the history of change, they were terrestrial reflections of the celestial bodies that ruled the heavens, so it was no shock that civilians valued them so much. It was believed that gold and silver were natural candidates for coins, they were rare, they do not break or rust. There isn't much physical gold left in today's world. In total there would be a cube of about 67 feet, which is about the size of a small office building. Gold forms naturally, so it can't be created, making it a very inflexible substitute... middle of paper... so holding onto money for long periods of time guarantees that you will lose value. It has also been proven that stocks are better as they provide the best real rate of return in all major countries in the world. Over the long term, stocks have outperformed bonds and government bonds by wide margins. The US Federal Reserve and other central banks control the amount of money in the global market and have a large influence on inflation rates. A former US Reserve Chairman admitted that inflation is a tax and that inflation is bound to last as long as the money supply continues to explode. Between 1948 and 1971 the money supply quadrupled and since 1971 it has grown sixteen-fold and shows no signs of slowing. Money needs to be invested in assets with the best real rate over time, sometimes putting money in long-term savings accounts is not the safest option.