Boy Scouts open a time capsule in Wiesbaden, Germany (U.S. Army)
Want to make your own time capsule? Here are directions!
In 2011, the Boy Scout Troop 11 Time Capsule was opened in Wiesbaden, Germany. It was buried 1961 on the 50th birthday of the Boy Scouts and was opened on the 100th birthday. A local Boy Scout troop met with the adults who had buried it. Inside were items that showed what life was like for military brats living in Germany at the time. The capsule was almost lost. It had been buried near an American military hotel on a military base. But that had changed over time. Luckily, the German hotel staff remembered where it was.
The Nickelodeon Time Capsule is at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio in Burbank, California. It has moved twice since it was buried in 1992. Kids called in to vote on what went inside. Some items were a Nintendo Gameboy, rollerblades, a skateboard and a piece of the Berlin Wall. A local girl named Vicky recorded its burial with a “Kid Cam.” It was the last thing placed inside. The capsule will be opened in 2042. You can watch the burial ceremony on YouTube.
The Massachusetts State House Time Capsule was buried in 1795. It is the oldest known time capsule in the world. Samuel Adams and Paul Revere buried it under the cornerstone of the building. It was opened in 2015. Inside were newspapers, coins, a silver engraved plate and a medallion with George Washington on it.
The Millennium Time Vault in England is the largest time capsule in the world. It is the size of a garage. The vault was constructed in the side of a hill at Guildford Castle. It contains items representing the 20th century (the 1900s). There are photographs, videos, items from the World Wars and even an entire car. It will be opened in the year 3000.
The Ziębice Time Capsule was found in the steeple of a church in Poland. It was buried when the church was built in 1797. It is the oldest time capsule in Europe. Inside were papers written in German. The town had been called Münsterberg and was in the Kingdom of Prussia when the capsule was hidden.
The Memory of Mankind (MOM) time capsule is buried in a salt mine in Hallstatt, Austria. This time capsule only stores special clay tablets that are supposed to last one million years. Each tablet has information important to us today carved into it. Anyone can submit things to be carved onto the tablets. Special tokens map its location so it can be found in the far future.
