- [Narrator] If you
wanted to really summarise the times we live in, what items would you
put in a time capsule, only intended to be opened
after many, many years? It's a difficult question. To really define a time with
just items alone can be tricky, but plenty have done it, and once opened, the stuff inside can
be pretty mind-blowing. From age-old mysteries to
futuristic constructions, let's crack open the most
exciting time capsules including a few we were
never supposed to see. (dramatic music) - Whoa!
(bell dings) (soft dramatic music) - [Narrator] The Crypt of Civilization. In a project led by
professor and historian, Thornwell Jacobs, along with scientist, Thomas Peters, the spectacularly-named
"Crypt of Civilization" was built between 1937 and 1940. This remarkable project was intended to encapsulate civilisation
in human development of the first half of the 20th century. This 2,000-cubic-foot impenetrable, airtight chamber is sealed
behind a heavy steel door, welded shut in 1940, at Oglethorpe University in Georgia, and is intended to be
kept under tight wraps until the year 8113! But what keep-sakes are they keeping in this crypt for the next 6,000 years? Well, first and foremost, there's literature and religious texts, which may not seem
particularly remarkable, but what is remarkable is that
Peter specifically invented and included a device to
make sure they're readable even if languages undergo extreme changes in the next 6,000 years. Called the "Language Integrator, this device is essentially a hand-operated movie
projector would sound and is intended to be able to teach future civilisations English. In addition to this, there
are also other technologies such as a toaster, typewriter,
sewing machine, camera, and a telephone, to name a few. We can only imagine what advanced tech the people of the distant
future opening the grid may have access to, so much so, who knows if
they'll even understand what something as simplistic
as a typewriter even is! Some cultural items are included too, such as artworks, ornaments,
transcriptions of radio shows, and of course, a stuffed Donald Duck toy. Perhaps the most fascinating
aspect of this capsule, though, is the voice recordings of various world leaders of the time. From Franklin D. Roosevelt
to Joseph Stalin. It's pretty interesting to consider how these 20th century icons will compare to the leaders of the distant future. Most likely, with the way
things are headed today, our descendants will probably just wonder whether these 20th century
leaders were sponsored by Pepsi or Coca-Cola. (air whooshing) The World's Largest Time Capsule. On July 4th, 1975, Nebraska shopkeeper, Harold
Keith Davisson wanted to create a capsule to be
opened in the year 2025, so that his future
grandchildren would be able to see what life was like in the 70s. And let's just say, he didn't hold back! Weighing 45 tons and
measuring 20 by eight feet, the Guinness World Records
certified the concrete capsule as the largest in the world
when it was constructed. However, Oglethorpe University, creators of the aforementioned
Crypt of Civilisation, claimed theirs was rightfully bigger. Not about to be outshone, Harold topped the original capsule with a second piece in 1983, a giant concrete pyramid. But what artefacts lurk
in this pyramid tomb? All in all, it said there's
over 5,000 items in there. So, unfortunately we won't
have time to list them all. Though some honourable mentions include a Kawasaki motorcycle, bikini bottoms, letters from
local parents, soda bottles, tapes, records, bowling pens, fireworks, and a leisure suit. Sounds to me like Harold was just clearing out some old junk. Jokes aside, there were actually some
very valuable items left in the capsule. The pièce de résistance
being a brand new Chevy Vega, and a 1975 Datsun, which was added with the
pyramid edition in 1983. That's one way to keep
the car's mileage low. So, while some grandparents
might leave behind money or family heirlooms, Harold Davisson left a literal
pyramid full of treasures. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Space Age Treasure Trove. From the characters to the music, there are few films quite
as iconic as Star Wars. Naturally, the franchise has become a fountain of memorabilia, because who doesn't want to nibble on Jar-Jar-Bink's candy tongue? Aaanyway, that cursed image aside, did you know that George Lucas, creator of Star Wars actually buried a shrine full of original Star Wars merch? It's true. It wasn't quite as shiny and futuristic looking as this one, but it wasn't far off. It was 1981 and Lucasfilm were celebrating their 10th anniversary as a company. Not just that, but "Skywalker Ranch" A.K.A. home of Lucasfilm's sound-design and post-production had
just been completed. With much to celebrate, it was the perfect time to bury a capsule on the site of Skywalker Ranch. Yeah, we're all disappointed
they didn't beam it to a galaxy far, far away. But, unlike most time capsules, George Lucas didn't
specify an opening date, only hoping that it would
last thousands of years. Inside was enough to make your average Star Wars
fan explode with excitement. From engraved paperweights that read, "May the force be with you" to custom bottles of
cabernet Sauvignon that, according to Lucasfilm.com, features a caricature drawing
of the Lucasfilm employees. Elsewhere in this shrine,
there are also action figures, a cassette of the soundtrack, and even the original contract between Lucasfilms and Universal for their 1973 movie "American Graffiti." On the Lucasfilm site,
there's actually an inventory of the capsule's contents, which I can only imagine is like the Star Wars
mega fan's equivalent of finding a box full of
vintage adult entertainment. (soft upbeat music) Uh, yeah. - Move on, we shall. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) - [Narrator] The Steve Jobs Method. Ah, the year 1983, Michael Jackson's
"Thriller" was number one, everything was cheaper, I still had hair. It also happened to be the
year that a group of tech-nerds including a 28-year-old Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, attended the International
Design Conference in Aspen, Colorado. To mark the event, Steve and his pals decided
they'd bury a time capsule. That was a huge 13-foot long-canister concealing items they
felt best depicted 1983. Such artefacts included an
8-track tape from the band, "The Moody Blues," as well
as a pack of Ballantine Ale, so that the people who found the capsule could
crack open a cold-one. And of course, no 80s
shrine's complete without a Rubik's Cube. But wait, this is Steve
Jobs, founder of Apple. Where's the tech? Where's the futuristic, unreleased Apple devices
waiting to be revealed? Like this designed for an
Apple capsule within a capsule. Or at least, the iconic
Apple logo we know so well? Well, there was in reality only one technological treasure
concealed in this capsule. You see, 1983 was also the year that Apple released their
desktop computer, "Apple Lisa." At the time, this was one of
the first commercial computers with a graphical-user-interface, and thus bore a $10,000 price-tag,
(cash register dings) approximately $27,000 today.
(cash register dings) Celebrating its launch, Jobs placed a Lisa mouse in the capsule. And sure it looks a little
dated by today's standards, but this is a time capsule, after all. The guys intended for the capsule to be uncovered in the year 2000. However, a landscaping project
on the Aspen site caused them to lose track of its whereabouts. It wasn't until 2013, 30
years after its burial, that the capsule was finally rediscovered, which only made it even more special after Jobs' untimely passing in 2011. But even if this computer mouse and Rubik's Cube weren't the
best re-discovered legacy, the $2 trillion company
that developed above ground ain't too shabby. (air whooshing) The Angel's Secret. On April 6th, 1892, the Mormon
Salt Lake Temple in Utah was completed after 40
years of construction. To finalise the build, atop of one of the spires, they placed a granite spherical capstone in a gold statue of the angel Moroni. It was an occasion that drew
a crowd of 30,000 people and in the spirit of time
capsule was concealed within the granite ball, which would remain up there for 128 years, until 2020 when the statue needed repairs. Two days after being removed, conservation experts and
stone masons carefully cut the granite ball open and retrieve the more-than-a-century
old treasures from inside. Unfortunately, due to the
capstone not being insulated, the items were mostly ruined. Nevertheless, they managed
to identify scriptures, popular religious books of the time, as well as a gold leaf copper plate, with the name of temple
leadership inscribed. There were even photographs
found in the capsule, which some have theorized
may have been one of a kind snapshots of
Mormonism founder, Joseph Smith. Unfortunately, though, the elements had left the
images less decipherable than my drunken attempts at selfies! On the bright side, though, they also discovered around 400 coins that were encased in the concrete, mainly nickels, pennies,
dimes and quarters. Which, adjusted for inflation, may just cover the price of repairs. Yeah, probably not. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Panasonic Expo '70. (soft upbeat music) It's 1968 and two Japanese companies, Panasonic and the Mainichi Newspaper are challenged with
creating a time capsule for the Japanese World Exposition 1970. Intended to be buried on the site of the iconic Osaka Castle, it'd take years of planning and research before the dual-team settled on a total of 2,098 specific items, creating a futuristic, almost UFO looking, time capsule, aiming to summarise Japanese culture. Inside, you could find a Japanese flag, a slinky, Geta sandals,
green bottle fly specimens, a portable radio, a rice
cooker, a model airplane, and astronaut food, likely in reference to
the Japanese space program that originated in the mid-50s. Most interesting though, is the radiation-blackened fingernails of survivors of the atomic
bombing of Hiroshima at the end of World War II. While it may seem gruesome, their presence in this capsule
ensures we never forget that dark chapter in human history. According to Panasonic, every single item in
the capsule was treated with the most advanced
preservation techniques of the time and, given the timeframe of this capsule, they're gonna need it. You see, the intention was
for it to be opened in 2000, and then every 100 years thereafter. However, they also
created an exact duplicate of the original capsule
buried deeper below. The second capsule isn't set to be opened until the year 5970! And who knows what human civilization will look like by then. Hopefully, my plan to genetically
engineer the human race in my own image will have worked. Starting with all of my subscribers. (Narrator evil laughing) (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Massachusetts Institute Of Time. In 1957, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, A.K.A, MIT, opened Building 26, home of the Compton Laboratories. In celebration, professor
of electrical engineering, Harold Edgerton, came up with the idea to bury a time capsule. A time capsule not
intended to be opened until a thousand years later in 2957. Fast forward 58 years to 2015, and a construction crew working on MIT's new nanotechnology
lab accidentally excavated the capsule, which had been
forgotten in the years between. And with a very clear label, which exclaimed, "Please do
not open until 2957 A.D." they decided to honour
capsule creator's wishes. After all, the glass encasing the capsule was specifically forged in an MIT glass blowing lab and was filled with argon gas
to help preserve the contents, so opening it would ruin the preservation. But, luckily for the curious among us, the capsule's glass is transparent, meaning historians were able to semi-piece-together its contents. Inside they could see coins from the First National Bank of Boston, a commemorative mug from
the MIT Class of 1957, a container of synthetic penicillin, as well as a cryotron. That last item was a superconducting
electrical device that, at the time of the capsule's burial, was expected to revolutionise
computer technology. In the end, though, different
technologies took that role and the cryotron fell into obscurity. What did still hold significance, though, was a letter MIT's president
at the time, Dr J.R. Killian, wrote to place in the capsule. That read, "We cannot guess
what the next millennium holds, but we're confident that you will have a greater understanding of the universe. We wish you continued success
in the pursuit of knowledge." Oh, the optimism. If only they knew about TikTok. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Capsule of Christ. What you see here might look like your standard Jesus sculpture, but the truth is, it's
actually a secret time capsule. In the northern Spanish province of Burgos in the Church of Santa Agueda, lies a wooden statue
of a crucified Christ. In 2017, the statue was due some repairs, though, as the restoration
team removed a piece of cloth from the statue's waist, it appeared there was more
than one crack at the rear-end. It turned out, the son of god's backside
was harbouring secrets. Though, judging by that facial expression, I can't tell if he was welcoming of the ensuing probe or pained by it! Either way, this examination
actually led the team to discover a mysterious
handwritten note inside Jesus. I once experienced something similar, but I'd rather not talk
about my time in prison. Anyway, this note actually
dated back to 1777, exactly 240 years prior. It'd been placed there by Joaquin Minguez, a priest of the cathedral of
Burgo de Osma at the time. Unfortunately, he had
no real prophetic wisdom to bestow upon us. Rather, a written time-capsule commentary on day-to-day live in Spain at the time. From popular pastime, such
as card and ballgames, to Spain's religious, economic
and political climate. He even commented on common diseases, such as typhoid fever, as well as famous people, such as popular bull-fighters of the time. All in all, the letter
provides an incredible insight to life at the time. Though, one question remains, why did Joaquin hide it in Jesus' butt? (soft upbeat music) (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Marthe de Florian. Let's take a trip back to Paris, 1939. It's August 29th and French socialite, actress, and (clears throat)
professional mistress, Marthe de Florian, dies at age 74, leaving behind her opulent
Parisian apartment. It was inherited by her
23-year-old granddaughter, Solange Beaugiron, who, three years later would
flee to the South of France, escaping the German occupation
of Paris during World War II. Although having never
returned to the apartment, Solange, for some reason, continued to pay the rent
until her own death in 2010. In that time, the untouched apartment
became trapped in a time-warp, becoming a time capsule of its own, if you will. When the apartment was finally cracked open
following Solange's death, chic décor and trinkets
of days gone by were found to inhabit the dust-laden dwelling, encased by wilting wallpaper. Personal documents and love
letters were also found, just as Marthe de Florian had left them, which, given her reputation, it's safe to assume there
may have been the odd "Voulez vous coucher avec moi?" in there. Other relics, such as a Mickey Mouse and Porky Pig stuffed toy, laid there, just as they
had for seven whole decades. Not to mention this stuffed
ostrich in the room. But, hidden among all
these curious knick-knacks, lay Madame de Florian herself. That is, an original Giovanni
Boldini portrait of her. Boldini was an Italian portrait painter of significant talent and renown, and as a result, the long-lost
painting was auctioned for 3-million-euro in 2010, making it Boldini's most valuable to date. C'est la vie! (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) 100 Years. While waiting for Avatar
2 might have felt like it's taken a hundred years, there is actually a real movie that isn't set to premiere
until the year 2115. And no. It isn't Avatar 3. Filmed back in 2015, "100 Years" is being dubbed
"The movie you will never see." In fact, hardly anyone knows anything about the film or its plot. Only, that is was directed
by Robert Rodriguez, written by and starring John Malkovich, alongside Shuya Chang, and Marko Zaror. Currently, the top-secret film is secured behind bullet-proof glass, in a high-tech safe that
is automated to open on November 18th, 2115. It is then, and only then, that the film will premier
to 1,000 invited guests. "But anyone currently invited
will all be dead by then," I hear you say. Well, that's why the
creators took the liberty of making the tickets out of metal, so they can be inherited
by future descendants. And sure, this is a fun twist
on the idea of a time capsule, but it's also reportedly part
of an elaborate promotion for Louis XIII 13th cognac. The luxury liquor allegedly
takes 100 years to mature, providing a general basis
for the movie concept. Though whether the film will
revolve around the cognac or will just have very
indiscrete product placement, well, that, like everything else, remains a mystery. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) Wall Street Treasure Chest. (soft upbeat music) Back in the 1600s, Dutch merchants began
regularly traveling to America to trade with Native Americans
and establish colonies. In 1614, a collective of Dutch traders were given exclusive trading rights in the east coast of north America from the Dutch leadership, which is thought to have sparked the beginnings of New York City, and all its business. 300 years later in 1914, the Lower Wall Street Business
Men's Association decided to mark the tricentennial
with a time capsule. The plan was for it to be
open 60 years later in 1974. However, by that point, the Lower Wall Street
Business Men's Association no longer existed. So, the capsule was forgotten. It wasn't until the late 90s that it was rediscovered
in an art storage unit in NYC's Chelsea area, though by this point, it
was decided it was best to leave it unopened until 2014, exactly 100 years since its creation. But what exactly was concealed
within this hefty bronze box? Well, in 2014, we finally found out. For the most part, the contents of the capsule
weren't the most exciting. Mainly just 100-year-old books, newspapers, metals, and so on. There was, however, an
interesting telegram from Governor Martin Glynn, a politician at the time, which said, "May every problem, which now engages the
attention of New York have found a solution." I mean, at the very least, I guess there's less horse poop on the streets now than in 1914? Somewhat disappointed by the contents, the New York Historical Society decided to rebury the capsule
along with a new capsule that will be opened in 2114. For this, they enlisted the help of a bunch of highschoolers, as one of the Society's
curators, Margaret Hofer, wanted the new capsule to reflect, "Popular culture as seen
through the eyes of teenagers." In contrast to the relative
dullness of the initial capsule, the new one includes things
such as a Starbucks cup, an iPhone box, earbuds, and even Lady Gaga tickets. Though if you ask me, they should have just filled it with thumb-drives full
of classic Vine clips. Ah, Vine, we still miss you. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) The Millennium Capsule.
(soft upbeat music) The turn of the millennium
was a momentous occasion, celebrated immensely. And with Bill Clinton being in
power in the USA at the time, the administration
thought of no better way to mark the once-in-a-1,000-year's event, than with a time capsule. Set to be opened in the year 2100, they wanted to show
people of the 22nd century what life was truly like in the 20th. And, if you ask me, they
did a pretty good job. The capsule contained a cell phone, a piece of the Berlin Wall, a film of Neil Armstrong
landing on the moon, the Bill of Rights, and a helmet from World War II, to name a few. But by far the most
important item in there is one that truly defines
the great land of America. That single specific item was, of course, the humble Twinkie. Yep, in true American style, they dropped in some
processed sugary food. Sadly though, future generations may not know our adoration for Twinkies, as they apparently had to be removed from the capsule due to attracting mice. Being honest, though, we all know it was really removed because some white house
intern got the munchies. (air whooshing)
(soft upbeat music) German In The Toilet. (soft upbeat music) Back in 2016, a Russian
fellow, Lukichev Dmitry, was digging a cesspool
for his outdoor toilet. However, when his shovel
struck something metallic, he made a truly unexpected discovery. A metal box was soon
unburied leading Lukichev to uncover a field locker left by a German World War II officer. Estimated to be from
between 1944 and 1945, the contents, which had
been there around 60 years, were in great condition, thanks to a rubber seal
on the lid of the box. Inside were all the typical
army items you might imagine, uniforms, ID passes, cash, but there was also room
for other bare necessities, such as alcohol and cigars, which are essential after
a regular day's work, let alone a literal world war. After analysing the uniform, historians concluded that the box belonged to a German soldier, who, based on his uniform, was likely a doctor in the medical corps. And while historians had
hope they might be able to track down the soldier's descendants, online sources never
confirmed them having done so. Maybe if they posed a
Craigslist ad with the title, "Cigarettes and Booze Found" they'd get a bit more interest. (dramatic music) And that's all for today, folks. What would you put in your time capsule? Let me know when the comments down below, and I'll catch you next time. (soft upbeat music)
