This Saturday, as part of the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States, a time capsule weighing 408 kilograms was buried three meters deep in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the very place where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The metal cylinder cannot be opened until July 4, 2276, when the country celebrates its fifth centenary.
The event was attended by Vice President JD Vance and was followed by more than 119,000 viewers online via Fox News.
The initiative is the work of the bipartisan commission America250, established by an act of Congress in 2016 with the express mandate to organize the anniversary celebrations.
A work of engineering for eternity
Ensuring that the content remained intact for two and a half centuries was the main challenge of the project.
Michael Berilla, director of the Manufacturing Technology Office at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), designed a double cylinder solution made of rounded stainless steel, as angular corners tend to crack over time.
The inner cylinder houses the objects; the outer part serves as a protective bell that traps the air and prevents moisture from rising.
The sealing was achieved with a thread of indium, a soft metal that, according to Berilla, "when the lid is pressed shut, it fills all the cracks and spaces, creating an airtight seal."
The engineer humorously dismissed concerns about flooding:
"The city would have to be under six feet (1.8 meters) of water for this container to even fill up. And if that happens, then we will have much more serious problems in the world."
The burial site will be marked with a plaque, and the National Park Service will include details about its location in its succession plans to assist in the search in 2276.
A portrait of the nation in 2026
The 50 states, five territories -including Puerto Rico- and the District of Columbia contributed objects and documents.
Rosie Rios, president of America250, described it as "a representative compilation of the United States on its 250th anniversary."
Among the most eye-catching items are:
- A Northern Atlantic right whale bone (Maine), an endangered species.
- A diamond (Arkansas).
- A coin with the full text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution engraved through nanograving (Arizona).
- The prediction of artificial intelligence Claude about California in 2276: "The roads will have disappeared, the grizzly bears will have returned, and the entire State will be separated."
- A feather from the eagle «Old Abe», who participated in thirty battles of the Civil War (Wisconsin).
- A piece of fabric from the flying machine of the Wright brothers from 1903 (Ohio).
- Everyday objects like an iPhone 17 and a bottle of Coca-Cola.
A tradition with history
This is not the first time that the United States has resorted to this mechanism.
A capsule sealed in 1876 for the centenary was opened by President Gerald Ford in 1976. Another one, created that same year during the bicentennial, awaits in the National Archives and will be opened in 2076.
The Congress also approved a second legislative capsule, led by Cuban-American representative María Elvira Salazar (R-FL), which will be buried in the west garden of the Capitol and will also be opened in 2276.
The burial takes place in a context of deep polarization: a survey by Reuters/Ipsos revealed that nearly 38% of Americans believe the country might not remain united by 2276.
Nevertheless, Berilla trusts in the message that the objects will convey:
"We were diverse. We were interesting. We were creative. We worked together."
Rios summarized the project's purpose: "We want future generations to have an authentic vision of who we were at 250 years. What our values were, what we have built, and how we perceived ourselves as a nation."
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