America250 — a commission created by Congress to commemorate the country’s 250th birthday — will bury a time capsule in Philadelphia on July 4 that’s set to be opened in 2276.
The specifics of what will be included in the time capsule haven’t been announced yet, but America250 said it will detail the goods before the Fourth of July.
Among the contents are “items from the 2026 Rose Parade, student submissions from America250’s America’s Field Trip contest, one-of-a-kind sports memorabilia from our national sporting league partners, a handheld flag from an America Waves event, items from Congress, the Supreme Court and the Executive branch,” according to a news release.
The capsule, which measures a little over 37 inches tall, not including the bell jar that will encase it, is being built in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
See the design below.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, will be handling construction.
“This is truly America’s Time Capsule,” Rosie Rios, chair of America250, said in a release.
“Congress called on us to create a lasting marker of this milestone, and we have worked with the country’s leading scientific and preservation experts to do so thoughtfully and responsibly. When it is opened in 2276, we want future generations to have a clear, authentic window into who we were at 250 — what we valued, what we built, and how we saw ourselves as a nation.”
It is, according to NIST, literally being build to last.
See you in 2276.
More information can be found online.
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