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I have always loved the concept of time capsules and even made one when I was a kid out of a shoebox and buried it in my backyard. My interest was stirred again when I recently read about a small time capsule that was opened not far from where I live. So I thought it might be interesting to research some of the larger and more famous ones for a list. The term “time capsule” wasn’t around until 1937 and its original purpose was to communicate with people in the future at a particular time or date. Over the years the term is now used to describe “unintentional discoveries” such as objects from archaeological digs or items found in the cornerstones of buildings with no exact dates when they should be opened. (I guess this would also apply to my buried shoebox). This list includes only “intentional discoveries” meaning time capsules with definite dates or a time period when they should be opened.
This is a very small time capsule compared to the others but I wanted to include it because it inspired the list. The 50 year old newspaper clipping above describes a silver-plated lead capsule containing 35-mm films. The capsule was placed in the Magnolia Boulevard Bridge in Burbank California when it was built in 1959 and was to be opened 50 years later. City officials didn’t know the capsule was due to be opened until a local historian came across the 1959 newspaper article a few weeks earlier. Workers removed the bridge dedication plaque and noticed a dark patch of concrete and then freed the capsule. The capsule contained 47 photos of the city as well as some predictions of what life would be like in Burbank in 2009.
Interesting Fact: One of the predictions was that people would be making “short-haul” flights in “vertical take-off” crafts. You can see the 50 year old pictures and read the rest of the predictions here.
The Yahoo! Time Capsule is a time capsule project where users contribute to a digital legacy of how life was in 2006. At the time of the closing of the capsule on November 8, 2006 the capsules total number of submissions was 170,857. The highest number of contributions, (32,910) came from the 20-29 age group. The digital collection of submissions was entrusted to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings based in Washington D.C. where it will remain until Yahoo!’s 25th Birthday in 2020. The Time Capsule hopes to capture the thoughts and feelings of the world in 2006 as an exercise in electronic or digital anthropology.
Interesting Fact: It is thought that the capsule represents one of the largest compilations of digital media of its kind in the world. You can learn more about the Yahoo Time Capsule here.
In 1963 a time capsule was made commemorating the fifth anniversary of the General Dynamics Astronautics facility in San Diego, California. It was to be opened 100 years later in 2063. Among the items in the capsule was a booklet called 2063 A.D. The booklet contains predictions by scientists, politicians, astronauts and military commanders about the state of space exploration in the year 2063. It is believed that only 200 copies were printed. Unfortunately in the late 1990s the building was torn down and the time capsule was destroyed. Fortunately a few remaining copies of 2063 A.D. sill existed and were able to be reproduced.
Interesting Fact: Here are a few of the interesting predictions: John Glenn, astronaut: “We will have discovered natural resources we did not know existed in the year 1963 and (discovered) an anti-gravity system.”
William Pickering, astronomer: “There will be travel at relativistic (light-speed) velocities to the nearby stars.”
Fred Whipple, astronomer: “The control of fusion in 1977 and the use of ordinary hydrogen in 1995 led soon to a comparatively infinite supply at relatively low cost.”
You can read the entire booklet here.
On Christmas Eve 1907 a group of men gathered beneath the Paris Opera and carefully wrapped two lead and iron containers containing 24 recorded discs. Each were sealed and locked in a small storage room with a note that read “This will teach men 100 years from now about the state of our talking machines and the voices of the principal singers of our times” In 1912 two more urns were added to the archive plus a hand-cranked gramophone and instructions on how to use it. The project was the idea of Alfred Clark who was the founder and president of EMI’s ancestor, the International Gramophone Company. In 1989, during the installation of air-conditioning it was discovered that the archive had been broken open and one of the 1912 urns was empty and the gramophone was missing. The remainder of the archive was immediately transferred to the National Library of France in Parris. At the end of 2007 the archive was opened. Apart from those missing, the discs were undamaged. It was decided that the records should remain un-played to avoid physical contact with the discs. Since precise details of which discs were in the archive were documented, copies of the same discs available from other archives were used to be digitized.
I just wanted to add that the fact that they didn’t play the actual records and used existing copies, in my opinion kind of takes the romance out of the whole thing.
Interesting Fact: Some were not impressed with the old masters. François Le Roux, a Paris Opera baritone and teacher, said that the old techniques grated on modern professional ears. He also said most of them would not get past the quarter-finals in a contest nowadays. [JFrater: In contrast to Le Roux's opinion, when I was studying opera I was very interested in the great voices of the past and frequently listened to the singers. Their technique was very different to now and often not as polished, but they were masters of emotional performance which is the most important aspect of performance singing in my opinion. Considering that some of these great recordings are of people who performed in the premieres of works by Puccini etc, we have much to gain by studying them.] The recordings of the Paris Opera Vaults were release earlier this year. You can judge for yourself and listen to several of the recordings here.
This time capsule buried in Seward, Nebraska claims to be the largest in the world and is the work of Harold Keith Davisson who was a local celebrity, store owner, and town character. Davisson was not that concerned with the far-distant future but was mostly thinking about his grandkids and to show them what his life was like in 1975. He also wanted his time capsule to be the biggest one in the world. The 45-ton vault was buried and sealed in 1975 on the front lawn of his home furnishings and appliances store. According to his daughter the time capsule has an eclectic assortment of 5,000 items, including a pair of bikini panties, a man’s leisure suit and a brand-new Chevy Vega, (the cheapest car he could find). The capsule will be opened on July 4, 2025.
Interesting Fact: To keep up with larger time capsules Davisson built a second time capsule, in 1983 directly over the first one so there would be no question as to whose time capsule was the largest in the world. In the second time capsule Davisson entombed another car, a beat-up 1975 Datsun or Toyota (no one can remember which) to show what society does to a car in ten years. Davisson died in 1999 at the age of 91.
In 1968 four time capsules were sealed in Amarillo Texas commemorating the 100th anniversary of the discovery of helium. Amarillo has been the center of activities related to helium since the government purchased the helium-rich Cliffside Gas Field in 1927. The time columns were filled with books, documents, and various artifacts that will tell future generations about life in 1968. The caps are welded on and the contents sealed in a helium atmosphere. Each time column will be opened after durations of 25, 50, 100, and 1000 years. The first time column was opened in 1993 and signifies man’s dependence on natural resources. The 50-year capsule symbolizes industry and its use of natural resources. The 100-year capsule represents science and its development of natural resources. The 1,000-year capsule represents history and human efforts toward conservation.
Interesting Fact: One of the items in the 1000 year column is a passbook for a $10 savings account from an Oklahoma City bank, which draws 4 percent interest compounded annually until 2968. When the 1,000-year Column is opened the account will be worth over $1,000,000,000,000,000 ($1 quadrillion)
In 1968 two Japanese companies, Panasonic Corporation and The Mainichi Newspapers, agreed to undertake a joint time capsule project in celebration of the Japan World Exposition 1970. Two time capsules identical in every detail were buried adjacent to Osaka Castle. The lower capsule will remain buried for 5,000 years. The upper capsule (A control capsule) was opened in 2000 to examine the condition of its contents. After undergoing laboratory testing it was reburied and will be opened every 100 years thereafter so that the latest preservation techniques can be used to ensure their safekeeping. The 2,090 items in the capsule were chosen by a team of scientists, engineers, and historians that reflected everyday life in 1970. Other items include a silk condom, false teeth, a glass eye, insects encased in resin, an origami instruction book, handcuffs and counterfeit money.
Interesting Fact: A contest was held among Japanese schoolchildren to write a letter addressed To the People living 5,000 from now. The winner was a fourth grader from Tokyo who wrote: “How are you, people of 5,000 years from now? I wish I could live again in your age but I am quite happy now. I have kind parents and also a sister with whom I quarrel with once in a while. We must do our best until the next age takes over. Goodbye from 5,000 years in the past.”
The Westinghouse Time Capsules are two time capsules prepared by the Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company. The first was created to promote the 1939 New York World’s Fair and the second for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Both are buried at the site of the fairs 50 feet below in Flushing Meadows Park. The Capsules are constructed from an alloy made of tempered copper, chromium and silver called Cupaloy. The two capsules are to be opened at the same time in 6939 AD, five thousand years after the first capsule was sealed. The 1939 contents were divided into five basic areas: small articles of common use, textiles and materials, miscellaneous items, essay on microfilm and newsreels. The 1965 capsule five areas include articles of common use, atomic energy, scientific developments, space and other.
Interesting Facts: The 1939 Capsule also contains a message from Albert Einstein which reads: Our time is rich in inventive minds, the inventions of which could facilitate our lives considerably. We are crossing the seas by power and utilize power also in order to relieve humanity from all tiring muscular work. We have learned to fly and we are able to send messages and news without any difficulty over the entire world through electric waves. However, the production and distribution of commodities is entirely unorganized so that everybody must live in fear of being eliminated from the economic cycle, in this way suffering for the want of everything. Further more, people living in different countries kill each other at irregular time intervals, so that also for this reason any one who thinks about the future must live in fear and terror. This is due to the fact that the intelligence and character of the masses are incomparably lower than the intelligence and character of the few who produce some thing valuable for the community. I trust that posterity will read these statements with a feeling of proud and justified superiority. You can see a complete list of all the contents of the 1939 and 1964 capsules here.
KEO is the name of a proposed space time capsule that will be launched in 2010 or 2011. There have been previous spacecrafts carrying time capsules of earth’s existence sent into space but what makes the KEO Satellite different is it will be designed to return back to earth 50,000 years later. The KEO project was conceived in 1994 by French artist-scientist Jean-Marc Philippe. If this ambitious project is realized the KEO will carry a drop of human blood chosen at random encased in a diamond, samples of air, sea water and earth and the DNA of the human genome. The satellite will also carry an astronomical clock, photographs of people of all cultures and an encyclopedia of current human knowledge.
Interesting Fact: The Satellites name is supposed to represent the three most frequently used sounds common to the most widely spoken languages today, K, E and O. Also, every person is invited to write a message addressed to the future inhabitants. The deadline is December 31, 2009. Messages can be posted here.
This is at the number one spot because the Crypt of Civilization is considered by many as the first modern time capsule even though it wasn’t called a time capsule at the time. It helped inspire both the name as well as the Westinghouse Time Capsules. In 1940 in the basement of Phoebe Hearst Hall at Oglethorpe University in Georgia, a stainless steel vault door was welded shut. Behind the door is a 20′ x 10′ waterproofed room containing a collection of once-modern day artifacts placed there by men and women from the years 1937 to 1940.The whole concept was thought up in 1936 by the former president of the University Dr. Thornwell Jacobs. While teaching and researching ancient history Jacobs was struck by the lack of information on ancient civilizations. He thought for those who might study our civilization in the future they would have to have accurate and full records. Because the first known date in recorded history, 4241 B.C. (6177 years previous) Jacobs suggested that the Crypt be sealed until 6177 plus the years that have passed – thus setting the year for the Crypt’s reopening at 8113.
Interesting Fact: The sensitive items in the crypt were sealed with stainless steel receptacles with glass linings. Before they were sealed, all of the air was removed from the containers and replaced with nitrogen to prevent oxidation of the contents. You can see an inventory of items in the Crypt here.
You can’t have a time capsule list and not include this one! In 1957 a large concrete vault was sealed at the Tulsa County Courthouse to be opened in 2007 to celebrate Oklahoma’s Centennial as a state. The organizers of the event thought it would be a really cool idea to burry a brand new Plymouth Belvedere because it “exemplified an advanced product of American industrial ingenuity with the kind of lasting appeal that will still be in style 50 years from now”. Items buried with the car included jugs of leaded gasoline, a change of oil and a case of Schlitz beer. The automobile was to be awarded to the person who guessed nearest to the city’s 2007 population. If he or she was not living, the award would go to the heirs, along with the proceeds from a $100 trust fund. The guesses were put on microfilm and sealed in a steel capsule. Unfortunately when it was opened it was obvious that during the 50 years the vault had sprung a leak. The car was found in four feet of water almost completely rusted with rotting upholstery and most of its contents ruined. You can see a picture of the car here.
Interesting Fact: The person that was closest to the 2007 population and the winner of the 1957 Plymouth Belvedere was Raymond E. Humbertson. He guessed 384,743 and was off by 2,286 people, as the population of Tulsa in 2007 was 382,457. Unfortunately Humbertson died in 1979 and his wife also passed away in 1988. His closest living relatives are his two elderly sisters who will take ownership of the prize. You can watch a great clip of the car and vault being prepared 50 years ago here.
I also wanted to mention there were plans to restore the car (Mss. Belvedere). A web site was even set up to keep everyone posted on her progress but there have been no updates for some time. Attempts to contact the company doing the restoration have also been unsuccessful. Maybe a Listverser from Tulsa or anywhere else can help us out with an update.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:35 am
You know somebody had to try the beer in the Bonus.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:40 am
“Time has the final word” In high school, 4 of us from journalism class hid a small one behind the clock in the classroom. Imagine my surprise when, 30 years later, I was able to retrieve it.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:44 am
Reminds me of the Santa Fe 1960 time capsule that was recently found to have never been buried.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29796901/
I’m surprised the Immortality Drive isn’t on here though, it’s pretty interesting as well.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:44 am
I don’t know if this counts as a time capsule, but the arctic seed vault is quite amazing nonetheless. It holds seeds of every major crop/plant on earth in case a disaster wipes the species out.
read more here: http://www.croptrust.org/main/arctic.php?itemid=211
April 28th, 2009 at 1:54 am
BA88: that is really fascinating – thanks for posting the link.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Oh – and everyone – don’t forget to twitter this article – it is a newly added feature. It is right above the advert above comments.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:03 am
I love the idea of time capsules, i used to bury stuff in my garden all the time and try and find it when i was young
April 28th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Superb!!!!
April 28th, 2009 at 2:10 am
Fun list,thanks for the pre work,early morning mind candy..cheers
April 28th, 2009 at 2:15 am
@loop: was it chewing gum? That’s all that was ever hidden behind things in my school… -P
April 28th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Great list! i actually live in Burbank, CA and those pictures really blew my mind! but once i saw that familiar bridge crossing the Burbank strip, i felt at home again
April 28th, 2009 at 2:46 am
i watched the movie Knowing by Nicholas Cage..that was when I learned of time capsules..and i think it’s really cool and bizare for the future people to dig those up and amaze themselves with it..hehehe..ü
April 28th, 2009 at 2:51 am
Disinterred guns on the list, g. I’d like to put my socks underground but don’t want to kill any trees, yo.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:21 am
There’s a time capsule at my school that’s suppose to be opened in I think 2 years. It has been there for 25 years I believe. I wonder what’s in it…
April 28th, 2009 at 3:31 am
jajdude, they must smell really bad.
kidding! just kidding!
great list. very fascinating and makes me want to build a time capsule with all my friends.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:02 am
another reason why i love listverse.. very interesting!
April 28th, 2009 at 4:03 am
I remembered once when I was young seeing a man bury something in the ground at the park near home . When I went to dig it up it was just a heavy layred aluminum foiled covered bag,. It was a small bag but it had some white powder in it. So not knowing what it was I threw it in the sewer drain. I still wonder what it could have been?
April 28th, 2009 at 4:34 am
For some reason the idea that humans will still exist 5000- let alone 50 000!- years from now is a highly surprising one for me. Well, at least the KOE satellite will be an interesting gift for the cyborg aliens.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:37 am
C0ol list. Time capsules.. I w0nder, do you know the website charonboat.com ? I wudnt recomend it to weak people.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:45 am
This was an excellent list, loved every word of it.
The bonus nearly made me sick. I just had to look at the “after” picture. Can you imagine what that car could have been worth if things had gone as planned? Can you imagine the classified ad for the car?
“For Sale, 1957 Plymouth Belvedere, pristine condition, less that 100 total miles. That’s right, 100, not 100k. Asking price is a signed, blank check, OBO.”
April 28th, 2009 at 4:48 am
WOW!
April 28th, 2009 at 6:01 am
#2 loop: I have one question. Did you discover if paraquat is still potent after 30 years?
April 28th, 2009 at 6:04 am
If the Aliens that settled earth only did this too, we wouldn’t be arguing about the existence of UFOs, Bigfoot, and Unicorns.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:05 am
I wonder what $1,000,000,000,000,000 will buy in 900+ years..not a lot maybe?
April 28th, 2009 at 6:06 am
So, so cool. I want to open all of them right now. I wish I found a quadrillion bucks in the ground. that would really help me out.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:16 am
Awesome list. It always amazes me the predictions people made back then about life today. Some are eerily accurate and others are just laughable.
When I was little my friend and I decided to bury stuff in her sandbox and dig it up later to play with it. I buried my favorite bracelet but later when I went back to get it, it was gone. To this day, I think she stole it when I wasn’t looking.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:17 am
Wow. This was an interesting read. When I was in school, there was one they made the we got to open during the time I was there. It was hilarious the stuff that was in it. One thing I remember was a little postcard that said “We come in peace!”
April 28th, 2009 at 7:06 am
well i think you have forgotten doctor whos time capsule!! this should be on this list
and also i think that rubix cubes contain time portals and should be unlocked!-
April 28th, 2009 at 7:28 am
@24 – That much dough won’t even fill up the tank of that Datsun (or Toyota), assuming there’s gas at all. While I’m at it, why an old Datsun (or Toyota) and not a ten-year-old Vega? No, wait, I know, there’s never been such a thing as a ten-year-old Vega. Sorry, never mind.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:33 am
If you open a time capsule and find a singing frog, RUN AWAY!!
April 28th, 2009 at 7:36 am
This may not qualify, but sure deserves a mention: Voyager’s Golden Record:
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html
April 28th, 2009 at 7:40 am
What’s most amazing about this list is how SHORT people’s memories are. They forget to buty the time capsule-People in just a few short years don’t even recall it’s being buried-etc etc. What happened to all the people that were there on that auspicious occasion even a scant 25 years ago. Alas, I hope our far distant relatives take better care of our history.
April 28th, 2009 at 7:46 am
Jfrater did you ever go back to dig up the shoe box capsule? What was in it?
April 28th, 2009 at 7:53 am
Anybody else think the KEO satellite will be mistaken for alien technology and cause mass hysteria?
April 28th, 2009 at 8:32 am
Hey j how bout making a list which shows any time capsules with horrific findings. and i hopefully it doesnt (robneiderman) or if it does hopefully not anytime soon.lol
April 28th, 2009 at 8:44 am
good list
April 28th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Brilliant. Number 5 is a wonderful person!
April 28th, 2009 at 8:57 am
I’m a listverser from Tulsa and I remember when they brought that car out. Don’t have any information on whether they are still restoring it or anything. I was a History major at University of Tulsa at the time they opened it back up and I had a professor who was really excited the day before it was to be opened. He was really disappointed when they discovered it was nearly destroyed. It was a really big let down around the city. It was in all the newspapers that this car was about to be brought out and just given to someone. Too sad.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:10 am
30. azalea
The singing frog is based on the true story Ol’ Rip the horned toad.
A time capsule, including a horned lizard, was placed in the cornerstone of the Eastland County Courthouse, Eastland Texas in 1897. When the old courthouse was torn down and the cornerstone opened in 1928, out popped Ol’ Rip, or so the story goes. He became national news and toured the country and even met with Calvin Coolidge.
Later in 1955 the legend of Ol’ Rip inspired the cartoon classic “One Froggy Evening”, the story of a frog freed from a corner stone who sang ragtime when nobody was looking.
Warner brothers later made the singing toad from the cornerstone it’s mascot.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:16 am
what amazes me is their optimism; most people wouldn’t bet on the human race surviving another century and those guys planned on opening capsules 5000 years from now…simply amazing and touching at same time
April 28th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I’m from Tulsa. The Car was a disaster. Everything was ruined! The smaller time capsules inside survived though, they were welded shut. The stuff inside was pretty cool. They had a week long exhibit for viewing! Haven’t heard anything else about the car. They sent it off somewhere to have it re-done. Which is sad, there are plenty of car restoration companies here in OK. They buried a new time capsule with a purple Prowler in it’s place.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:42 am
#2 Hi there aliens, we are humans! We are weak and mostly defenseless as you can see. Come quickly, come raid our planet and use us for meat of fuel.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:11 am
what about the disney time capsule? lol
April 28th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Excellent list Blogball – exactly what we’ve come to expect from you – keep up the good work!
Kind of depressing how little has changed since the 1930’s – “the production and distribution of commodities is entirely unorganized so that everybody must live in fear of being eliminated from the economic cycle” (Einstein) – frankly on a global scale, I do believe we’ve widened the gap instead of shrinking it – to everyone’s detriment.
April 28th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I want to be burried with some kind of time capsule, or inside one!….nah, might be a bit creepy for whoever opens it to find a corpse inside?
April 28th, 2009 at 10:24 am
Hey, excellent Blogball! Just browsing the newspaper articles from #10, I found a small column in the second newspaper talking about the death of the ‘Our Gang’ Alfalfa star. Since we were recently looking at the tragedies of the ‘Our Gang’ stars in the ‘Child Stars Gone Bad’ list I thought it was a rather neat coincidence – like LV time looping back on itself. I LOVE old newspapers.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Very timely list, as it has just been reported that builders working near Auschwitz have discovered a message in a bottle that was buried in a concrete wall. It is dated September 9, 1944 and contains a list of seven inmates’ names, camp numbers, and hometowns. They buried the bottle while being forced to reinforce the walls of the building for use as warehouses. According to a museum spokesman, they “were young people who were trying to leave some trace of their existence behind them.”
April 28th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Nice list Blogball
#29 timmy the dying boy: My father had 1974 Vega that survived to the early 1990s.
#45 Lemons: It might not be so bad if you were preserved by a good taxidermist.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:13 am
46. Lifeschool
Me too – check out the second row, first image:
“Death Smog Hits Britain”
London…1952 smog that killed 12,000 persons.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:26 am
If anyone is interested, I started a thread in the forums under General Discussion where you can list what you would put in a time capsule if Listverse started one.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:42 am
19. Curious kid – April 28th, 2009 at 4:37 am [Report Abuse]
C0ol list. Time capsules.. I w0nder, do you know the website charonboat.com ? I wudnt recomend it to weak people.
Ummmmm, yeah. I went and looked at it for about two hours… and I agree – not for the weak or faint of heart, and definitely NOT work safe, or family safe for that matter.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Oh, and by the way, thank you for the KEO site… I think I’ll be including a little message to my descendants, assuming I have any after that long, lol.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Excellent list!
47: very touching story.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:49 am
Thanks for the comments everyone.
The article from one of the newspapers in #10 that TEX found (smog killing 12000 people) perked my interest. I had no idea of this! Here is some Wiki info. about it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Smog_of_1952
Shifty, I will check out the thread.
By the way the shoebox that I Buried is when I lived in Chicago many yeras ago. I plan to go back to my old house when I’m 100 years old and dig it up.
I think it had some old toys and some other junk I didn’t care about and a dopey note along with the date when it was buried it.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Interesting list, I’m working on my message for the KEO Sattelite now.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
49: TEX: – Yeah
And what about “Grandma Hits Jackpot But All Worn Out”. 
This is in the last newspaper picture. Sure is funny to see item like this on the cover of a newspaper rather than todays sensation-grabbing ‘terror’ fests.
I was fascinated to read Einsteins quote too Mom. “[we] live in fear of being eliminated from the economic cycle” – wow, apply that to the Credit Crunch! The theory of “suffering for the want of everything” is not new, and is played upon by those who want to sell us ‘dreams’. It is also the seat of the Buddhist Dharma (philosophy); – which basically advises the way out of common suffering is to relax the ‘need’ for anything external to the self (and in that way, Man already has everything).
Also, applying this to 2009, “One who thinks about the future must live in fear and terror” – does this ring any bells with anyone? Einstein then goes on to highlight the separation between the people who make things happen; – who ‘pull the strings’ – and the common Man, by way of intellect. In that respect I believe we have made an advance. With the advent of the internet, now anybody can research any topic they can imagine, and communicate directly with the similar motivated. Finally, thanks to ‘whistle blower’ news web sites such as ‘www.davidicke.com’, we can all see what the ‘intelligente’ are up to.
April 28th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Mom424: You know – I think that fear of being eliminated adds to the spice of life. Einstein was just being an old grump
April 28th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
sweet list
April 28th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Blogball, another great and well-researched list. You’re becoming a hell of an “assistant director” here. If you understand the cinema analogy.
The only thing I have never understood about time capsules is why people mandate that they be opened in such short order. 25 years? That’s nothing. Now yes, in 25 years the world has changed quite a bit. A friend of mine from college just remarked today how he felt sometimes like he was waking up from a 25 year coma (I still haven’t grasped WHY he feels that way) which would place us back in 1984. Well, sure—1984… no internet. No cell phones. CDs were so new that few had them. No DVDs, just VHS. No email. No one would have imagined, in those days, things like 9/11, or a black president. Or that the Cold War would end in only a few years.
But then, to me it isn’t about how much the world changes—it’s about how much we lose touch with that “old world” from yesterday… and sorry, but 25 years is nothing. I remember 1984 like it was… well… yesterday. I don’t need a time capsule—I’ve got old magazines, pictures, and even some clothes up in the attic that I’d be embarrassed to wear now.
50 years? That’s still within the limit of a human lifetime. 50 years ago was 1959. Now, I missed that year by 6… but I can very well picture what it was like, and even through direct connections, because my brothers and sister were alive then, and I’ve seen the photos and whatnot. And anyway, at any time we can flick on the TV and see movies from that era, or TV shows. I don’t feel disconnected from the 50s, even though it was before my time. I have a sense of what they were like.
100 years to me is the bare minimum for a time capsule. But even then—well… I can go to a library or a museum and seek out “life in 1909.” And with a little imagination, it wouldn’t be too hard to place oneself in that, and grasp it. However, admittedly—it’s well removed from us. People in 1909 might be expected to know and understand what life was like in, say, 1884. But in 1809? A vastly different world. AND… a world that was mute, except for the printed word and painted imagery.
So to my thinking… if I was going to plant a time capsule today—I’d not want it touched for at least 100 years. Hopefully my children will still be here in 50 years—even 70 or more. I can’t see that they will feel terribly removed from this time, or what has come just before them. But in 100 years time? in 2109? If the pattern were to continue, one would assume that that WOULD be a great different world. And the fun of it is, we don’t have the slightest idea of what it’ll be like.
25 years? I can guess. We all can guess. It isn’t that hard. Things never change as drastically or as quickly as we think they will. I doubt that the world of 2034 will really be that hugely different from the world of 2009. Probably a LOT less reliance on fossil fuels. No doubt technology will continue apace and bring us all sorts of nifty gadgets and whatnot. But 25 years is too short a time to expect miracles. 50? Perhaps yes. But surely in 100 years things will be greatly different. And even more so in 200 years, or 300. Or certainly in thousands.
And how much of a help would it have been to modern archeologists if ancient civilizations had chosen to do this? Of course, to some degree–they did. By accident. But it would have served our understanding if they had buried some accurate descriptions and images of their world which clearly illustrated who they were and what they were about, as a people. Having this by happenstance is nice, but having it by design would be helpful.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
And may Diego de Landa, and the like, perform felatio in Hell for eternity.
April 28th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
Randall “Thanks”
I was thinking the same thing when I was researching # 8. I mean didn’t any of those smart people from General Dynamics think there might be a strong possibility that at least 1 of the 200 booklets might survive 100 years? How anticlimactic would that be if when the 100 years finally rolls around and they pull out something from the capsule that was easily available at the local library or the Internet?
April 28th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Hey from Tulsa! I remember when they opened the vault and being disapointed because the car was ruined!Im not quite sure what happened with the restoration of the car but Im sure I can get the update from someone!
April 28th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
woops meant to say Im from Tulsa. Sorry watching TV and wasn’t paying attention!
April 28th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I live right near Burbank.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Thanks Addyoung, it sounds to me like the New Jersey rust remover Company (Ultra One) bought the car to promote their business and show the world how great they can remove rust. They promised to update their web site regularly on the cars progress but haven’t. Maybe the Ultra One stuff is not working very well on Mss Belvedere’s rust and they are hoping people will forget about her. (Just a guess) Like T-Town mentioned it’s too bad a restoration company in the Tulsa area didn’t get the job.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
i’ve lived in amarillo, tx since i was born and didn’t know that the helium monument was a time capsule til about a year ago… >.
April 28th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Hey, I live in Tulsa and unfortunately I have not heard anything else about the car.. I’m sure it is sitting in a garage somewhere downtown in a building set to be demolished by Maurice Kanbar.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
I absolutely adore the idea of time capsules and this list was very fascinating. After doing the math, I am quite pleased at the prospect of seeing two or three of these being opened in the future (if the world doesn’t end in 2012 that is…) I think my favorite on this list was KEO though because of the fact that it is to be opened so many millenia from now (50,000 years!) and the artifacts it is to contain.
April 28th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
@39 – Thanks Tex, I knew nothing about that. That must have been one hungry toad, but it’s not too far-fetched when you remember those things can bury themselves for years at a time.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I looked on the Tulsa World website and a guy named Dwight Foster in 2008 said he would finished with the restoration of the car by the end of the year but so far no word of the restorarion. It’s quite frustrating!
April 28th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Blogball, what a great list! I totally love Time Capsules and I have ties to one one the list, by dint of location (#10, the one in Burbank California). I grew up in and around that area.
I also have ties to one *not* on the list; When Halley’s comet last flew by Earth in 1984, the Griffith Park Observatory buried a time capsule to be opened when the comet makes it’s next bypass, in 76 years, 2060. My 3 children all wrote letters and drew pictures which were included in the capsule, relating things that were important to them at their ages at the time, 5, 6, & 7.
April 28th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Awesome list!
April 28th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
A great list and good fun, nice one blogball!
April 28th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
“Interesting Fact: One of the predictions was that people would be making “short-haul” flights in “vertical take-off” crafts.”
That would have been a great prediction if helicopters hadn’t already been in production for 17 years… LOL
April 28th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Fascinating!I love time-capsules…I take 3 capsules 3x a day…it really relieved me of my headache and my impotency
April 28th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
“I wish I found a quadrillion bucks in the ground. that would really help me out.”
Lol, Me too.
April 28th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
i have never heard of time capsules until i read this fascinating list. Thank you so much, blogball!
April 29th, 2009 at 12:47 am
I contributed stuff to the Seward Time Capsule. Hope I’m around when they open that.
April 29th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I checked the KEO website, typed a message and had a good read. Then realised that the capsule (it said) was due for launch in 2006!
I checked with Wikipedia and sure enough, it gives the same dates as are listed here. It also said there may be doubt as to wether or not this project ever gets underway.
We will have to wait and see.
April 29th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Time Capsules are ultimately selfish human deeds filled with unsatisfied promises. Once the wishbone is saved and dried out and the hands join in splitting a divining rod up the wazoo, then immediately a tearing within the infrastructure, we all call ’solidarity’ is ruptured. The result is a game of glory gifts to the BIG MIRROR that “we” think is our best reflected side.
Like letters to Santa Claus or prayers to God , a personalization to a place beyond.
It is a sad game.
because the dream is too conscious and rigid.
April 30th, 2009 at 12:41 am
I’m from Tulsa! WoooHooo.
But sadly, no car news.I also remember being dissapointed when I learned the car was ruined.
Just wanted to say I’m from T-Town.
April 30th, 2009 at 1:25 am
I’m not from Tulsa! Woohoo. But I too am sad that the car got ruined.
April 30th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
OMG I’m doing the Keo thing. I have to think about what I want to say, though.
May 1st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Greetings from Tulsa. That was the cherry on top of my day, seeing the Tulsa time capsule on here.
I heard a man named Foster said he would continue working on it although I have not heard much aside from the fact that the car is still sitting in his garage. Hasn’t touched it yet. I have a friend who lives by him and only sees the car if the garage is open. I can’t blame him. The stench must be tragically overpowering.
May 5th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Aww!! the letter is so cute!!
May 15th, 2009 at 6:46 am
twas guuuuuuud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May 15th, 2009 at 6:49 am
i gay nd luv trans dressers
June 9th, 2009 at 5:44 am
In Argentina we have one too. It was buried in 1992, to be opened in 2492. It includes some tv documental in ¡¡¡Laser Discs!!! Link in spanish: http://www.taringa.net/posts/noticias/2354567/Te-acordas-de-_Equot;la-capsula-del-tiempo-Philco_Equot;.html
And the 3d model of the monolith and the message: http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=es&ie=UTF-8&u=http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details%3Fmid%3D1f91dcccd93c89d81229fe9efb640d26&sl=es&tl=en&history_state0=
June 9th, 2009 at 11:29 am
So that satellite’s going to return in 50,000 years. Quite presumptuous to think we’ll still be messing about or if we are–what will be the current state of affairs? What if we have devolved as a result of a massive extraterrestrial event. Asteroid hits, takes the majority of us out, completely obliterates our civilizations. So now when the satellite returns it finds us living just as we did some 4000 years ago. We would freak out. We may even think it’s from some far off alien planet. Just a thought.
Tricky Relativity
June 18th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
#43: That has walt disney’s frozen head in it.
Where am I supposed to put the message. I can’t read french. In that little box?
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:36 pm
“One of the items in the 1000 year column is a passbook for a $10 savings account from an Oklahoma City bank, which draws 4 percent interest compounded annually until 2968. When the 1,000-year Column is opened the account will be worth over $1,000,000,000,000,000 ($1 quadrillion)”
wow people will KILL eachother to get to that passbook WAAAY before the year 2968 and certainly before it’s worth more than a few billion.
June 25th, 2009 at 6:39 am
nice post…. very interesting to read and think..
regards
NADIA
my site: http://brilliantfoto.blogspot.com/
July 1st, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I never got to comment on how cool this list is. I’ve had that KEO site bookmarked until I have time to leave a good message.
July 15th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Don’t forget the Detroit, Michigan time capsule with Jimmy Hoffa in it.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:26 pm
I’m a stunt man. I’m donating my sequin jumpsuit to the next space capsule. SYV High football rules!!!
August 24th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
To the writer of this list or anyone that finds this of interest,
The Warhol Time Capsules:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/08/19/entertainment/main5251534.shtml
http://warhol.org/tc21/
I wont waste my time going into what I think here, because time is already wasted enough.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:30 am
time capsules are just the same as what people throughout history had been doing which is why we know so much about them… like the fact our ancestors wrote in stone for us (unintentionly) to know about the existance of their civilisations. But i think its funny how the english language gets more simpler throughout history; consequently in the future, people would find mummbling the new universal language. And if it was up to me, i would add an iPod and see how much it has improved in the future which would be funny from my perspective
November 9th, 2009 at 12:45 am
i love time capsules! It’s fascinating how things change over the years.
great post btw.
November 17th, 2009 at 5:11 am
pretty good list hm….