For centuries, matchmaking was mostly left in the hands of parents and older relatives. During most of the 20th century, Americans chiefly relied on friends – and to a lesser extent family and even coworkers – to meet their significant other. Computer-assisted matching started as early as 1959, but the biggest shift occurred in the mid-1990s, with the birth of the first online dating websites. Now there is no turning back: Matchmaking and online dating has become a $2.5 billion dollar industry, and about 25% of U.S. couples now meet on the internet.