Did you know that the Moon has already had two owners?
The story of the Moon's first owners has given rise to some of the most striking curiosities of the 20th century. From the registration made by Jenaro Gajardo Vera in Chile to Dennis Hope's subsequent claim... Had you ever heard their stories?
Jenaro Gajardo Vera and the registration of the Moon as property in Chile
In 1954, in the city of Talca, Chile, lawyer Jenaro Gajardo Vera starred in one of the most curious stories of the 20th century: the registration of the Moon as property in his name at a local notary's office.
The story begins when Jenaro encounters a particular requirement for members of a social club he wished to join: to be admitted, they had to prove ownership of an asset. Having no registered properties in his name, upon seeing the moon, that idea came to his mind.
Under a legal provision of the time that allowed for the regularization of properties without clear title, he went to a notary and presented a document declaring himself the owner of Earth's natural satellite.
The request followed the natural administrative procedure of the Chilean registration system of the time, with publications in the Official Gazette and formal procedures for its concretization.
It is said that, in his will, Jenaro bequeathed ownership of the Moon to the People of Chile. From this, we can deduce that the process was indeed completed and, after so much effort and such a significant property, we can only hope that, at least, he was accepted into the club that led him to take such a measure, because although many may question the legitimacy of his actions, what no one can doubt is his desire to join it...
Dennis Hope and his claim to the Moon thanks to a legal loophole
In 1980, Dennis Hope starred in another of the most curious stories of the 20th century by claiming bodies in the solar system.
The project arose, according to his own account, during a period of personal instability and economic difficulties.
One day, he simply looked up at the Moon and thought it would be a good place to build; many properties could be housed there... Then, he knew that perhaps no one had thought of it before and decided to turn that thought into a profitable business...
His curiosity led him to investigate the matter, and during that process, he ended up finding a document that would shape the course of his project: the 1967 Outer Space Treaty promoted by the United Nations, which states in Article II that outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, cannot be subject to national appropriation.
Hope interpreted the existence of a legal loophole, as the treaty states that the restriction applied to States, not to individuals, so he could claim rights over surfaces outside of Earth. In an interview, he stated: "They were ownerless lands."
He sent formal letters to the United Nations, the U.S. government, the then Soviet Union, and other international bodies. In them, he communicated his intention to claim the Moon and other celestial bodies in the solar system, and requested guidance on the legal limits of that idea.
According to his own statements, he received no formal response to these communications.
Based on this lack of response, he interpreted the institutional silence as "tacit acceptance," that is, as a lack of opposition to his proposal. From that interpretation, he claimed to be able to dispose of surfaces outside of Earth and eventually began to develop a small-scale commercial system, selling plots in his area.
During the rise of the public internet, his idea led to the creation of a commercial model under the name Lunar Embassy, where he sold plots of approximately one acre, assigned by coordinates on maps, along with the issuance of property certificates.
Each plot was located on maps divided into grids, using coordinate references to mark specific positions, so that a specific location could be identified as if it were a terrestrial cartographic representation.
Over time, he expanded the sale of land to other celestial bodies such as Mars, Venus, and Mercury.
In various interviews, Hope stated that he had clients from various backgrounds, from anonymous individuals to Hollywood actors and celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Clint Eastwood, George Lucas, and Mick Jagger.
Some former U.S. presidents, including Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, and even some hotel companies, such as Hilton Hotels & Resorts and Marriott Hotels & Resorts, also acquired plots.
The idea of owning land on the Moon or elsewhere in the solar system has become a cultural and commercial phenomenon, perhaps due to the expectation of populating space, or perhaps, simply to be able to say you own it or to tell the anecdote.
