What would you leave behind if you knew someone hundreds—or even thousands—of years from now would find it? Throughout history, governments, scientists, and ordinary people have buried remarkable time capsules filled with objects meant to preserve a snapshot of their era. Some have already been opened. Others won't see daylight for millennia. Here are the most famous, historically documented time capsules ever created.
1. The Westinghouse Time Capsules (1939 & 1965)
Perhaps the world's most famous modern time capsules, the two Westinghouse capsules were buried at the New York World's Fair in 1939 and 1965. They contain everyday objects like newspapers, seeds, fabrics, cigarettes, a Mickey Mouse cup, a Beatles record, and microfilm documenting modern civilization. The first capsule even included a message from Albert Einstein.
2. The Crypt of Civilization
Rather than preserving a few artifacts, Oglethorpe University attempted to preserve an entire civilization. Sealed in 1940, the underground chamber contains over 640,000 pages of books on microfilm, recordings, household appliances, toys, tools, religious texts, and even a language guide to help future discoverers understand English.
3. The Paul Revere & Samuel Adams Time Capsule (1795)
The oldest known time capsule in the United States was buried beneath the cornerstone of the Massachusetts State House by Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Inside were rare colonial coins, newspapers, a George Washington medal, and a silver plaque engraved by Revere himself. It was rediscovered in 2014, opened in 2015, then reburied with modern additions.
4. The Century Safe (1876)
Created for America's Centennial Exposition, the Century Safe is considered the first intentionally planned modern time capsule. It contained photographs, books, signatures, political memorabilia, and personal items from the late 1800s before being opened exactly 100 years later during the U.S. Bicentennial celebrations in 1976.
5. The Voyager Golden Record
Unlike buried capsules, this one is traveling through interstellar space. Attached to Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 in 1977, the gold-plated record contains greetings in 55 languages, music from around the world, natural sounds, photographs of Earth, and scientific information intended for any intelligent civilization that might encounter it.
6. The Detroit Century Box
In 1900, Detroit mayor William Maybury asked prominent citizens to write letters predicting what life would be like 100 years later. The sealed box was opened in 2001, revealing surprisingly thoughtful predictions about transportation, medicine, and daily life—many of which were remarkably accurate.
7. The MIT Time Capsule
During construction of MIT's original Cambridge campus in 1916, workers placed a capsule beneath the cornerstone containing newspapers, coins, institutional records, and photographs documenting the university and the era.
8. The International Time Capsule Society
The growing popularity of time capsules eventually inspired the creation of the International Time Capsule Society, headquartered at Oglethorpe University. The organization maintains records of thousands of documented capsules around the world so future generations know they exist—and where to find them.
9. The Expo '70 Time Capsule (Osaka, Japan)
Created by Panasonic and The Mainichi Newspapers for Expo '70, this ambitious project actually consists of two identical capsules filled with over 2,000 artifacts representing humanity in 1970.
10. The Boston Old State House Lion Capsule
In 2014, workers discovered a hidden capsule inside the head of a gilded lion statue atop Boston's Old State House. It contained photographs, letters, newspapers, and historical documents that had remained untouched for over a century.
11. The University of Tulsa Millennium Capsule
Buried to commemorate the year 2000, this capsule contains objects reflecting everyday American life at the turn of the millennium, from technology to newspapers and cultural artifacts. Its opening is planned for future generations.
12. The Capsule That Never Stops Traveling
Even after nearly 50 years, the Voyager spacecraft continue moving farther into interstellar space. Unlike every other time capsule on this list, the Golden Record isn't waiting underground—it is carrying humanity's story across the cosmos, making it arguably the longest-lasting message our species has ever created.
