Can you believe that geocaching turned 20 years old this week? Neither can we! Geocaching has come a long way since the first geocache was placed on May 3, 2000. Here are some fun facts and a timeline of the history of the past 20 years of geocaching:

• May 2, 2000: Or as geocachers call it, Blue Switch Day. This is the day the United States government removed selective availability on civilian GPS receivers, therefore enabling the accuracy of GPS technology to improve tenfold.
• May 3, 2000: The first “geocache” is placed. However, the first geocache was not called a geocache at all, but a “GPS Stash.” Although the original geocache is no longer in place, there is a plaque marking its location and a physical container with a logbook for visitors to sign. Watch a video of Lackeys visiting the plaque!
• September 2, 2000: Geocaching.com launches. The site lists 75 geocaches worldwide.
• August 30, 2001: The first Travel Bug® is released by Geocaching.com co-founder, Jeremy. TB1 is a rubber ducky named “Deadly Duck: Envy.”
• September 30, 2001: Moun10Bike places the second geocoin in a cache near Deception Pass, Washington. He keeps the first geocoin in his personal collection.
• May 27, 2006: The first Mega-Event is GeoWoodstock 4 (GCRRC6) in Texas.
• December 31, 2007: Geocaching.com reaches 500,000 active geocache listings.
• March 8, 2010: Geocaching.com reaches 1 million active geocache listings!
• July 4, 2010: The first souvenir is created and awarded at the Geowoodstock VIII Mega-Event.
• February 26, 2013: 2 million active geocaches are listed on Geocaching.com worldwide! View the infographic.
• September 13, 2013: The first Travel Bug makes its way to space on the International Space Station.
• August 17, 2013: The first GIFF event takes place at Geocaching Block Party (GC3X684).
• August 16, 2014: The first Giga-Event is Project MUNICH2014 (GC4K089) in Germany
• April 18, 2017: Geocaching reaches 3 million active geocaches worldwide! View the infographic.
• May 3, 2020: There are currently over 3.1 million geocaches listed on Geocaching.com and they are hidden in almost every country in the world!
• May 3, 2025: The first geocache is placed on Mars to commemorate the 25th anniversary of geocaching.

Okay, so the last one is probably not true—but it could be! How do you think geocaching will change in the next 5, 15, 25 years? Share your thoughts in the comments below!