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Time capsules share photos, letters and history, giving those who open them a chance to time travel

March 9, 2026

Time capsules are the ultimate analog method of sending information to the future, and these time machines have been used for centuries.

A time capsule is a sealed container that holds information or artifacts that could be of value to future-dwellers. The container is usually meant to be opened on a specific date, but some are opened randomly when they’re discovered. What’s inside is intended to offer a unique glimpse of life in the past that may not have been available otherwise.

Preserving sacred relics such as text, holy objects, and even human bodies dates back for millennia, but the practice of preserving everyday artifacts and messages for curious minds in the future is a more recent phenomenon.

Time capsules are usually placed during some kind of ceremony marking a historic or important event. They are often placed in secure locations like the cornerstone of a building, often with a marking showing when the capsule should be opened. Public buildings and schools are some of the most common locations for time capsule placement.

The Westinghouse time capsule was buried in a ceremony at the 1939 New York World's Fair. It carries documents and artifacts including seeds, a microscope, microfilm, and a 15-minute newsreel. The copper, chromium and silver alloy vessel is scheduled to be unearthed in 6939. (Courtesy of the Heinz History Center) — The Westinghouse time capsule was buried in a ceremony at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It carries documents and artifacts including seeds, a microscope, microfilm, and a 15-minute newsreel. The copper, chromium and silver alloy vessel is scheduled to be unearthed in 6939. (Courtesy of the Heinz History Center)

Some time capsules get lost or forgotten over the years and are later found by construction crews during the demolition of a building or structure.

The term “time capsule” became popular in the late 1930s and became permanent with the famous 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule, created by Westinghouse as part of their exhibit.

Westinghouse built the time capsule for the ages — the scheduled reopening was set for 6939.

The capsule was 90 inches long with an interior diameter of 6.5 inches, and the copper, chromium and silver alloy vessel weighed 800 pounds. It contained several everyday items such as a spool of thread and a book of record, but it also contained crop seeds, a microscope, microfilm, and a 15-minute newsreel.

A second Westinghouse capsule was buried in 1965. Both capsules were buried 50 feet beneath the World’s Fair exhibit, which today is in Flushing Meadows Park in New York. These highly publicized time capsules popularized the practice of sending information into the future.

In July 1941, a group of Hollywood notables buried a time capsule at the Padre Winery in Cucamonga, as part of a film premiere. The premiere for the film “New Wine” was attended by celebrities and local citizens who enjoyed a barbeque and champagne on the winery’s patio. The time capsule contained a written history of the film, articles of clothing from the movie’s female stars, and a bottle of Padre champagne.

Inspired by the Westinghouse capsule, the Kaiser Steel Company in Fontana built an impressive chrome-plated iron capsule for the 1953 California State Fair. The gleaming 3-foot cylinder weighed 225 pounds and was forged from iron mined from their plant at Eagle Mountain, east of Indio. Microfilm containing the history of California was placed into the capsule, which was to be opened in 2054.

The story of Monrovia’s time capsule has some unusual twists. In 1936, the city created a time capsule to be buried at the foot of the William N. Monroe monument in Library Park to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

This photo from the Monrovia News-Post shows the city of Monrovia's ceremony to re-bury their time capsule in Library Park on May 16, 1987. The capsule was supposed to be buried in 1936, but the box was misplaced, and it was not actually buried until 1952. The reburied box is scheduled to be unearthed in 2037. (Courtesy Monrovia News-Post) — This photo from the Monrovia News-Post shows the city of Monrovia’s ceremony to re-bury their time capsule in Library Park on May 16, 1987. The capsule was supposed to be buried in 1936, but the box was misplaced, and it was not actually buried until 1952. The reburied box is scheduled to be unearthed in 2037. (Courtesy Monrovia News-Post)

For unknown reasons, the copper box was not buried in 1936 and was found in the city’s Chamber of Commerce building in 1943. The box was updated with information and material from World War II and was finally buried in 1952. The box was briefly unearthed in 1987 and reburied with additional new information. The reburied box is set to be reopened in 2037.

After many reopening ceremonies, we know the most common materials placed in time capsules were hand-written letters, newspaper clippings, photos, books and printed materials, small religious artifacts, coins, and household items.

The people sending information to the future had no way to know that on the prescribed opening date, nearly anyone could retrieve eons of historic information from a device held in the palm of their hand, as we can today. Also, many of the everyday items sent forward are no won display at museums.

This photo shows the opening of a time capsule that was buried in the dedication stone of the First Church of Christ Scientist in San Bernardino in 1917. The church was demolished around 2023, but the dedication stone was preserved. The metal box was opened on March 15, 2024, and it contained booklets by Mary Baker Eddy, and a list of the church's building committee. Paul Chaney is shown examining the documents from the box. (Photo by Nadine Chaney) — This photo shows the opening of a time capsule that was buried in the dedication stone of the First Church of Christ Scientist in San Bernardino in 1917. The church was demolished around 2023, but the dedication stone was preserved. The metal box was opened on March 15, 2024, and it contained booklets by Mary Baker Eddy, and a list of the church’s building committee. Paul Chaney is shown examining the documents from the box. (Photo by Nadine Chaney)

The pomp and circumstance at the placing of a time capsule is often replaced at the long-awaited reopening ceremony by mild amusement or even disappointment. Despite preservationists’ best intentions, crumbling documents, newspapers, and faded photos are the most common contents inside a capsule.

However, some time capsules have provided a priceless look back at the history of a building or a location, such as the capsule retrieved at the Los Angeles Public Library in 2025. On May 3, 1925, the cornerstone for the Central Library on 5th Street was laid, and a time capsule was placed inside.

Reports of the 1925 cornerstone ceremony referred to the time capsule simply as a “small copper box” containing “historical relics of the library’s progress and growth throughout the years and also data taken from the corner-stone of the old Normal School.” The Normal School building on 5th Street was demolished in the early 1920s to make way for the library’s construction.

The library’s time capsule was retrieved for the 100-year anniversary of the building in 2025. The contents included a written story of the building’s design, told by the architects, and amazingly, the sealed 1881 copper time capsule from the old Normal School cornerstone.

Time capsules are still popular today.

An official, congressionally mandated time capsule will be buried on July 4, 2026, at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, as part of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

The capsule will hold a collection of artifacts and letters representing the three branches of government, and submissions from each of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories. The stainless-steel capsule will be reopened in 2276, marking the country’s 500th anniversary.

Mark Landis is a freelance writer. He can be reached at Historyinca@yahoo.com.

Time capsules share photos, letters and history, giving those who open them a chance to time travel Orange County Register

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Time capsules share photos, letters and history, giving those who open them a chance to time travel

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