Until May 2, 2000, GPS left a lot to be desired—but not because the technology itself was lacking. The real culprit was the US government, which deliberately degraded GPS accuracy in the name of national security. The concern? That adversaries might exploit precise GPS signals to guide their weapons with pinpoint accuracy. As a result, GPS coordinates routinely missed their mark by more than 300 feet. Eventually, though, officials revisited this policy and decided to lift the restrictions on May 2, 2000.

Just one day later, on May 3, 2000, a computer consultant based in Oregon saw an opportunity to put the newly improved GPS through its paces. He gathered up some books, videos, computer software, and a handful of other prizes, tossed them into a bucket, and stashed it in the woods near Beaver Creek, Oregon. Then he hopped online and announced what he called "The Great American GPS Stash Hunt," sharing the bucket's GPS coordinates and inviting anyone in the world to track it down and claim the goodies inside.

In under three days, somebody did exactly that—and promptly took to social media to rave about the thrill of the treasure hunt. The idea caught fire quickly. People everywhere thought it sounded like a blast, and before long, others were hiding their own treasure stashes and sharing coordinates. The very first person to discover that original bucket began compiling these challenges and documenting them online under the name "The GPS Stash Hunt." That name didn't stick for long, though—the catchier, more streamlined term "geocaching" quickly took its place. These days, geocaching has exploded into an incredibly popular worldwide activity, spawning many variations of the game.

A lone bucket tucked away in the Oregon woods sparked what would become a global phenomenon.

Today:

  • Millions of geocaches are hidden across every continent, including Antarctica.
  • Players, known as geocachers, use apps and GPS devices to track them down.
  • The game has morphed into countless variations—urban caches, puzzle caches, multi-step hunts.

It's part sport, part treasure hunt, part tech adventure.