The Evolution of the Time Capsule

A time capsule evokes feelings of nostalgia and piques your interest like no other. It’s akin to finally opening Christmas presents after waiting all year, except multiply the waiting period by the decades. The time capsule, whether a personal or collective one, is a form of archaeology. On a personal level, it’s like discovering an artifact from your life’s museum.

Time capsules hold precious memories encased in physical objects: film photos, childhood toys, postcards from memorable trips, an heirloom a dear family member gave you. They all reside frozen in time in a capsule buried underground housed in a cemented vault. Time capsules are also used by organizations, communities, and groups. For instance, it used to be common in the United States and the UK to bury a time capsule in the early years of a school or community. They would then open the lid of the marble slab containing the slumbering time capsule, and present it at an event, where all could see the nostalgic artifacts.

Today, time capsules have evolved into the digital realm. Instead of physical objects, our memories on the internet and in digital devices are made of data. From videos to heartfelt late night conversations saved in messenger apps, the internet and our gadgets host an extensive archive of the 21st century experience.

Let’s take a look at the time capsule’s evolution throughout time and see where it’s headed in the Internet Age.

Origins

The term “time capsule” was first used in 1937 when a capsule was being prepared by Westinghouse for the 1939 New York World's Fair. However, The Crypt of Civilization, created in 1936 at Oglethorpe University, claimed that they were the first time capsule in the modern age. The “crypt” was intended to be opened in the year 8113.

Even before the term “time capsule” was first uttered, the concept of creating and burying a time capsule is much older. Although our ancestors didn’t call it by its modern term, people throughout the ages, probably since the dawn of humanity, have buried personal objects for safekeeping, and to be unearthed in the future.

The idea behind the time capsule is that they are to be used as a way of communicating between people separated by a long period of time. Essentially, communicating to the future people, even long after the creator of the time capsule has passed.

Archaeologists have found time capsules throughout the years that offer valuable insight into our collective past. For example, archaeologists found a time capsule in North Carolina that was buried by early settlers in the area. Time capsules from the World War II period have also been found throughout Europe. For instance, archaeologists and historians have found both Nazi time capsules in Germany and time capsules that contained anti-Nazi literature in Poland during the occupation.

Later in the 20th century, during the height of the space race, time capsules were launched into the cosmos. In fact, there are currently two time capsules in space. They are the famous Voyager Golden Records, which were launched in 1977 aboard both Voyager flights. The Voyager Gold Records contains depictions of human civilization, artifacts of our cultural heritage up to that point in time. The selection of contents and cover design was led by the late great Carl Sagan, who was a professor at Cornell lUniversity at the time.

Time Capsule in the Tech Age

Today, the term “time capsule” is not frequently used. The terms “archive” (which is just a synonym of the term “time capsule”) and “memories” are used more often. For instance, the popular social media giant Facebook calls past posts “memories”. Instagram, now owned by Facebook, uses “archive” for its users’ older posts. Blogs also use archives to index and catalog past articles. Regardless of the semantics, the conclusion is the same: we know the importance of documenting our present, which will one day become the past, which in turn could be viewed by future generations one day.

We are living in the most documented period of human civilization. From billions of selfies on social media to popular vloggers (video bloggers) with millions of subscribers, people are all adding to the collective digital time capsule in real-time. Hundreds of years from now, historians and anthropologists will know exactly what you had for dinner on a specific date and time because publishing food pictures have become a popular trend over the past decade. Future historians will know everything about our society today, whether trivial, mundane stuff or important events and trends.

If you think about it, the internet is a massive ever-expanding time capsule. In fact, there’s even an Internet Archive, although, frankly, you can simply use search engines to unearth internet artifacts buried deep in the webosphere.

You also have innovative new apps and programs like Future Messages, developed by Memories, that will allow you to record messages to day and set them up to be delivered at a future date, even long after you’ve passed away.

In conclusion, the time capsule is still alive and well. It just simply evolved with the times, ironically. But who says even a time capsule has to remain in the past? After all, time capsules are actually meant for the future.