When was caving invented?

Answer 1

1885 maam

Answer 2

Caving, or spelunking, is not something that was invented but rather has been practiced for thousands of years by individuals exploring natural caves for various reasons, such as shelter, resources, or religious purposes. The modern sport of caving as a recreational activity started to gain popularity in the late 19th century and has evolved since then with advancements in equipment and techniques.

Answer 3

Difficult to give a specific answer as like other outdoor pursuits, it's not something that can be called an "invention", but caving as a specific outdoor-pursuit developed in Europe, especially France, Austria and Britain, in the late 19C.

Eduard Martel, is regarded as certainly one of, if not the, pioneer in that era, of exploring caves entered by deep shafts, common in some parts of his native France.

Martel had already gained considerable experience when he was the first to reach the floor of Gaping Gill (about 110metres deep from the edge of the open hole called "Main Shaft), in N.W. England, though he was not the first to try exploring it. That honour goes to a local man called Birkbeck, who had succeeded in reaching a ledge now named after him, nearly half-way down, though he did not know that. This was in the 1890s, and greatly encouraged local cavers to action.

Even before these exploits though, some caves in various countries had already been modified into "show caves", allowing tourists to view them without special equipment or caving skill; and there are accounts of intrepid explorations from the 18C, perhaps when the Age of Enlightenment aroused curiosity rather than dread of natural features like caves.

Caving now covers not simply visiting known caves, but searching for and exploring "new" ones; and the field of Speleology - the umbrella term for the scientific study of caves and their natural contents.