Many of us were granted an opportunity to create a time capsule in high school. It probably didn’t matter as much then, but unearthing it decades later brought a glorious sense of nostalgia and a flood of fond memories.
The items featured on this list are more than just varsity memorabilia and notes passed around in class. Many of these were artifacts dating back to the 1930s that provide tangible fragments of a bygone era. Some are still being preserved for the next century of inhabitants to enjoy.
If you’re a history buff or someone with a deep appreciation for relics and a significant backstory, these images may fascinate you.
#1 At The 1970 Tokyo Expo, They Buried Two-Time Capsules On The Grounds Of Osaka Castle
The First Time Capsule Was Opened In 2000 Before Being Reburied And It Will Then Be Reopened Every 100 Years. This Means Items Can Be Added To Incrementally Show How Culture Has Changed In Japan Through The 21st Century.
Image credits: Panasonic
#2 Miscellaneous Objects From The Westinghouse Time Capsule Created For The 1964–1965 New York World’s Fair
The Metal Cylinder Was Buried 50 Feet Below The Surface Of The Westinghouse Pavilion Grounds Alongside The Earlier Westinghouse Time Capsule Created For The 1939 World’s Fair. The Two Capsules Were Intended To Survive 5000 Years And Be Opened In The 7th Millennium Ad. A Marker In Flushing Meadow Park In Queens Indicates The Internment Site. Date 1965
Image credits: Westinghouse Electric Corporation
#3 Time Capsule Holding Some Of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Possessions That Was Lowered Into The Ground In 1988 At Freedom Plaza On Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C
Buried in 1988 at the Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C. and scheduled to be unearthed in the year 2088. The capsule contains some of Martin Luther King Jr.’s personal possessions along with audio cassettes people of the 1980s recorded.
Image credits: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer
Time capsules have been around for nearly 150 years, with the first debuting in 1876. New York Magazine publisher Anna Deihm put together what was then known as a “Century Safe,” which contained 19th-century relics like a gold pen and inkstand, a collection of signatures, and photos of President Ulysses S. Grant.
#4 Crypt Of Civilization, Considered The First Modern Time Capsule. Photographed In 1939 Prior To Sealing
Image credits: Unknown
#5 The Future Library Project Is A Public Artwork That Aims To Collect An Original Work By A Popular Writer Every Year From 2014 To 2114. The Works Will Remain Unread And Unpublished Until 2114
One thousand trees were specially planted for the project in the Nordmarka forest at its inception;[1] the 100 manuscripts will be printed in limited-edition anthologies using paper made from the trees. The Guardian has referred to it as "the world's most secretive library".
Image credits: katiepaterson
#6 Lucasfilm’s 1981 Time Capsule
Forty years ago this month, a special ceremony hosted during the annual July 4th Company Picnic in 1981 sought to commemorate the establishment of Skywalker Ranch itself, which would soon become the official home of Lucasfilm once new buildings finished construction. To officially herald in this new era for Lucasfilm, and to celebrate the company’s 10th anniversary that year, a time capsule was placed into the cornerstone of the Main House building containing several mementos and artifacts representing Lucasfilm’s cultural and merchandising legacy up to that point.
Image credits: Pete Vilmur
However, the idea of leaving an artifact for posterity has existed for over 5,000 years. According to the University of Victoria, it was first introduced in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which experts consider humanity’s earliest literary work.
The book opens with a set of instructions on locating a box of copper in the foundation stone of the Great Wall of Uruk in Mesopotamia. The box contained the tales of Gilgamesh, which were preserved for future generations. The Epic of Gilgamesh dates back to 2100 B.C.
#7 Time Capsule Found During Construction At Mit
Back in the early stages of construction for MIT.nano, members of the crew stumbled upon something that clearly didn't belong: A time capsule buried in 1957 as part of the dedication to the Compton Laboratories.
Image credits: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
#8 Westinghouse Time Capsules
the Westinghouse time capsule was buried to show our Jeston family descendant’s what life in the 20th century was like. Because it isn’t intended to be opened until the distant, distant future the NY World Fair sent out 300 guidebooks so that the location wasn’t forgotten.
Image credits: Wikipedia
#9 Memory Of Mankind (Mom) Is A Preservation Project. The Project Aims To Create The "Time Capsule Of Our Era"
Its main goal is to preserve the knowledge about present human civilization from oblivion and collective amnesia. Information is printed on ceramic tablets and stored in the salt mine of Hallstatt, Austria.
Image credits: wikipedia.org
Fast-forward to today, when time capsules are more popular than ever. You can find “time capsule kits” on Amazon, ranging from $26 to $68. These capsules are made from stainless steel, waterproof, and anti-corrosion material to ensure they stand the test of time.
“Time capsules have always played a role in preventing collective amnesia, even more so now with the concept of the memory hole,” International Time Capsule Society chair Adrienne Waterman told the Washington Post in a 2022 interview.
#10 World's Largest Time Capsule
A 45-ton, 20 x 8 x 6-foot concrete vault filled with some 5,000 relics, remembrances and reminders. Dedicated on July 4, 1975, the brainchild of the late Seward writer and historian Harold Davisson is scheduled to open in 2025.
Image credits: NebraskaTourism
#11 After 30 Years Of Being Buried Underground, A Time Capsule Hidden By Apple Founder Steve Jobs Has Finally Been Discovered
Image credits: CNET
#12 Time Capsule Sealed For New Nikola Tesla Monument In Silicon Valley
a new Tesla monument in Silicon Valley that includes some predictions for the world of 2043. A 30-year time capsule was also sealed at the ceremony, with items like an iPhone and a 2013 penny. But the items that people of the future may find most interesting are simply scraps of paper: predictions from local kids for what the future might be like 30 years hence. With the recent resurgence of Tesla-mania, you can bet that people of the future will certainly know Tesla's name. But judging by the design of the new statue, they may wonder what the hell he's holding. For the record, he's holding a huge light bulb.
Image credits: Matt Novak
Of course, the current age of technology offers a digital option for time capsules. Estate planning companies like Trust & Will provide people with a platform to keep and organize their digital footprints in a safe space.
Digital time capsules may include documents, voice recordings, artwork, videos, e-books, and pieces of content like recipes, blog articles, podcasts, and music.
#13 The Samuel Adams And Paul Revere Time Capsule, Also Known As The Massachusetts State House Time Capsule
Is A Time Capsule Located In A Cornerstone Of The Massachusetts State House. It Is Widely Believed To Have Been Buried In 1795 By Then-Governor Samuel Adams And Paul Revere. It Is The Oldest Known Time Capsule In The United States.
Image credits: mfa.org
#14 Wall Street Time Capsule From 1914 Was Opened In 2014
Image credits: businessinsider.com
#15 Century-Old Time Capsule From Old State House Lion's Head Opened
a century-old time capsule that sat inside the lion statue on top of the Old State House was opened during a ceremony in Woburn.
Image credits: Jesse Costa/WBUR
We’d also like to hear from you. What are your experiences with time capsules? Have you created one in the past? What did you put in there? Let us know in the comments!
#16 Euston, London, England Time Capsule
Image credits: Matt Brown
#17 John Brashear’s Forgotten Time Capsule
Brashear had placed a small metal box in the cornerstone of the Astronomical & Physical Instrument Works on Aug. 14, 1894. In 2015, conservators at the city’s Heinz History Center unpacked and cataloged pictures of Brashear, his wife, Phoebe (labeled “my dear girl”), his employees and his equipment; a lock of Phoebe’s hair; business correspondence; and a small piece of glass labeled “One of the first pieces of optical glass made in America. May we hope that when this stone is opened America will lead the world.” The contents are personal; you get the impression that Brashear carefully selected each item. Although the box doesn’t specify an opening date, Brashear, like Revere, clearly intended the box to be opened at some future point.
Image credits: Liz Simpson
#18 The Nickelodeon Time Capsule
It contains items deemed important to the children of 1992 as voted upon by Nickelodeon viewers. These items included a Barbie doll, baseball, books (comic book, endangered species book, history book, phone book, TV Guide and World Atlas), bubble gum, CDs (MC Hammer and Michael Jackson), hat featuring the catchphrase of Joey Lawrence, news reports (1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, Dissolution of the Soviet Union, Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS and Operation Desert Storm), Nickelodeon Gak, Nickelodeon Magazine, Nintendo Game Boy, pencils, photos of things too big to fit inside (bicycles, cars, celebrities, planes, politicians and trains), piece of the Berlin Wall, Reebok Pump sneakers, Rollerblades, skateboard, t-shirt featuring the Nicktoons characters Ren and Stimpy, Twinkies, and VHS movies (Back to the Future and Home Alone). The final items put in the capsule were a tape of the event itself and the camcorder used to record it.
Image credits: Nickelodeon Studios
#19 The British Columbia Time Capsule Is A Time Capsule In Victoria, British Columbia, Containing Records From 1966–1967
The Capsule Was Placed In Confederation Garden Court On December 31, 1967, And Is Scheduled To Be Opened On January 1, 2067,[1] As Part Of Canada's Bicentennial Celebrations.
Image credits: Michal Klajban
#20 Voyager Golden Record
The Voyager Golden Records are two identical phonograph records which were included aboard the two Voyager spacecraft launched in 1977. The records contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended for any intelligent extraterrestrial life form who may find them. The records are a time capsule.
Carl Sagan noted that "The spacecraft will be encountered and the record played only if there are advanced space-faring civilizations in interstellar space, but the launching of this 'bottle' into the cosmic 'ocean' says something very hopeful about life on this planet."
Image credits: NASA
#21 100 Years In The Making - The Contents Of The 1924 Time Capsule! Remarkably Intact After A Century Buried Behind The Dedication Stone In The Tower
Image credits: National WWI Museum and Memorial
#22 Lageos-1
LAGEOS-1 (which is predicted to re-enter the atmosphere in 8.4 million years) also contains a 4 in × 7 in plaque designed by Carl Sagan to indicate to future humanity when LAGEOS-1 was launched. The plaque includes the numbers 1 to 10 in binary. In the upper right is a diagram of the Earth orbiting the Sun, with a binary number 1 indicating one revolution, equaling one year. It then shows 268,435,456 years in the past (binary: 228), indicated by a left arrow and the arrangement of the Earth's continents at that time (during the Permian period). The present arrangement of the Earth's continents is indicated with a 0 and both forward and backward arrows. Then the estimated arrangement of the continents in 8.4 million years with a right facing arrow and 8,388,608 in binary (223). LAGEOS itself is shown at launch on the 0 year, and falling to the Earth in the 8.4 million year diagram
Image credits: NASA
#23 Time Capsule Is A Time Capsule That Symbolizes The Portuguese Government's Witnessing And Acknowledgement Of China's Promise To Maintain Macau's Level Of Autonomy For Fifty Years After The Transfer Of Sovereignty
The Time Capsule Was Closed And Covered On 18 December 1999 And It Is Scheduled To Be Opened In 2049.[1] Currently, The Time Capsule Is Located In The Praça Do Centro Cultural De Macau, Which Was The Venue For The Transference Of Sovereignty Ceremony.
The Time Capsule contains the Joint Declaration of the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Portuguese Republic on the question of Macao, Basic Law of the Macao Special Administrative Region. Moreover, documents, newspaper clippings and official press releases that related to the transfer of sovereignty during the transition period were also put into the capsule
#24 The Mount Royal Cross Is A Monument On Top Of Mount Royal In Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Next to the cross, a plaque marks the emplacement of a time capsule buried in 1992, during Montreal's 350th birthday celebration. It contains messages and drawings from 12,000 children, depicting their visions for the city in the year 2142, when it is scheduled to be opened.
Image credits: Taxiarchos228
#25 Post One Monument
The Post One Monument in Toronto's Queen's Park commemorates Canada's centennial. Unveiled in 1967, the monument functions as a geodetic survey marker and has a time capsule that is slated to be opened in 2067
Image credits: wikipedia.org
#26 Apollo 11 Goodwill Messages
The Apollo 11 goodwill messages are statements from leaders of 73 countries around the world on a disc about the size of a 50-cent piece made of silicon that was left on the Moon in 1969 by the Apollo 11 astronauts.
Image credits: NASA
#27 In 1995, On The Park’s 40th Anniversary, Cast Members Buried A Time Capsule (Called The “Time Castle”, So That Future Visitors Could Take A Peek Into The Past
The Time Castle, buried right in the center court off Main Street, contains photos, newspapers, an Indiana Jones decoder card, and more memorabilia. The capsule lies in wait for its reopening, slated for the park’s 80th anniversary in 2035
Image credits: duchessofdisneyland
#28 When The Perth Observatory Foundation Was Laid On 29 September 1896, The Occasion Was Attended By Sir John Forrest And Other Notable Dignitaries, And Several Items Of Importance Were Placed In A Leaden Box (Time Capsule), Sealed And Deposited In A Cavity Beneath The Foundation Stone
The event was described in the local press and mentioned here since "Röntgen rays tubes, and a description of the process, together with specimen photographs", donated by Hancock were included in the cache. This is the first known instance of a time capsule in Western Australia, and in Australia.
Image credits: Powerhouse Museum
#29 The Immortality Drive Is A Large Memory Device Which Was Taken To The International Space Station In A Soyuz Spacecraft On October 12, 2008
The Intent Of The Immortality Drive Is To Preserve Human DNA In A Time Capsule, In Case Some Global Cataclysm Should Occur On Earth.
The Immortality Drive contains fully digitized DNA sequences of a select group of humans, such as physicist Stephen Hawking, comedian and talk show host Stephen Colbert, Playboy model Jo Garcia, game designer Richard Garriott,[1] fantasy authors Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman, pro wrestler Matt Morgan, and athlete Lance Armstrong.[2][3] The microchip also contains a copy of George's Secret Key to the Universe, a 2007 children's book authored by Stephen Hawking and his daughter, Lucy.
Image credits: Whiskey-Particular
#30 Miss Belvedere Is A 1957 Plymouth Belvedere That Was Sealed In An Underground Vault On The Grounds Of The Tulsa City Courthouse On June 15, 1957, As A 50-Year Time Capsule
Nicknamed Miss Belvedere by a member of the committee organizing the 2007 event, the car was unearthed on June 14, 2007, during the state's centennial celebration and publicly unveiled the next day.[5][6] Reflecting the Cold War tensions endemic in late 1950s America, the enclosure – built of poured in place concrete and sprayed with pneumatically applied gunite – was advertised as having been built to withstand a nuclear attack. However, the vault was breached by long term water intrusion, that submerged the entire vehicle, causing significant cosmetic and structural damage
Image credits: wikipedia.org
#31 The Yahoo! Time Capsule, A Brainchild Of Jonathan Harris, Is A Time Capsule Project By Yahoo! Inc. Where Users Could Contribute To A Digital Legacy Of How Life Was In 2006
The Time Capsule was originally intended to be beamed with a laser into space from a Mexican pyramid in an attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life.[1] Open to contributions from October 10, 2006 to November 8, 2006, the Time Capsule also hoped to capture the thoughts and feelings of the world in 2006 as an exercise in electronic or "digital anthropology".[2] At the time of the closing of the capsule, the total number of submissions was 170,857. The highest number of contributions (32,910) came from the 20–29 age group.
Image credits: wikipedia.org
