Special Sub-Topic: Geocaching - Early History Click Here To Play: Geocaching - Early History

GPS, or Global Positioning System, was developed by the US Department of Defense. This satellite navigation system was intended for military use and therefore the signals only gave limited accuracy for non-military use to about 100 metres. On what date was this "Selective Availability" turned off?

May 2nd, 2000. GPS, or Global Positioning System, was developed by the US Department of Defense. This satellite navigation system was intended for military use and therefore the signals only gave limited accuracy for non-military use to about 100 metres. On May 1, 2000, President Clinton announced that this scrambling, known as Selective Availability (SA), would be turned off, giving an accuracy of around 10 metres. (It was turned off around midnight on May 2nd 2000, Eastern time.)

Who placed the first geocache?(Also known as a "cache")

Dave Ulmer. Dave Ulmer proposed a way to celebrate the demise of Selective Availability. On May 3, 2000, he hid a bucket of goodies in the woods near Portland, Oregon and posted its location on the newsgroup sci.geo.satellite-nav. It wasn't termed as a 'cache or Geocache then, a different name was used.

The first recognised website for logging hides or finds did not actually use the word 'cache or Geocache in its name. What was the word they used?

Stash. On may 30th 2000, a gent named Matt Stum suggested the name "Geocaching", a cross between Geography and cache (or secret a hide). It was felt that the word "Stash" had some negative baggage associated with it.

What was the surname of the person who first registered the domain "Geocaching.com", and started a new database for cache hides and finds?

Irish. On May 8, Mike Teague announced a Web site for collecting the locations of caches. On September 6th 2000, Jeremy Irish took over 'cache listings from Mike Teague, using the geocaching.com domain name.

In what US state was the first "Event cache" held?

Texas. This was in Austin, Texas, on March 24th 2001. An event cache is a social get together of fellow geocachers, often with food and drink. An event cache is a "cache find" in its own right, simply by turning up. Although new caches are often placed near to the event location.

Who found Dave Ulmer's original cache first?

Mike Teague. Mike Teague found the "stash" within a coupe of days, and began to compile his "GPS Stash Hunt" database shortly thereafter.

How many caches worldwide, were published at the launch of Geocaching.com on September 2nd 2000?

75. At the time Geocaching.com was launched, there were only 75 caches published worldwide.

What 20th Century Fox movie was associated with "Project A.P.E caches"?

Planet Of The Apes. In 2001, 12 'caches were placed to support the movie "Planet of The Apes." Each cache had an original prop item from the movie. Two of these caches still exist today.

On Geocache.com, the owner of a cache listing can create a hint to help the finder locate the cache. The hint can be encrypted. What is the encryption code acronym?

ROT13. It's a fairly simple format, where letters of the alphabet are rotated by 13 characters. A=N, Z=M, etc.

Some caches have items that can be moved from cache to cache. These are generally call Travel Bugs. What is an alternative name for these items?

Hitchhiker. A travel bug (TB), or a Geocoin are examples of trackable items. The aim of the game is to travel as far as possible around the world. A hitchhiker does not have to be a trackable item, it might be a simple toy with a log sheet that requests to travel the world, and might ask the placer to send a photo at each location to a given e-mail address.