GPS Treasure Hunt: Geocaching Begins Global Adventure
Dave Ulmer, a GPS enthusiast and computer consultant, hid a black bucket containing a logbook, pencils, and small prizes in the woods near Beavercreek, Oregon, on May 3, 2000, and posted the GPS coordinates on the sci.geo.satellite-nav Usenet group with the message "The Great American GPS Stash Hunt." Within three days, two people had found it. By September, the hobby had a name, geocaching, coined by Matt Stum. The concept exploited the recent removal of Selective Availability, which had deliberately degraded civilian GPS accuracy. With coordinates now accurate to within ten meters, hiding containers and sharing locations became practical. Today there are over 3 million active geocaches in 191 countries, with players logging finds through a dedicated app and website.
May 3, 2000
26 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 3
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