Forgotten time capsule from 1914 unsealed in New York City
In 1914, the Lower Wall Street Business Men's Association put together a time capsule, stuffing into the bronze box newspapers with stories on bullfighting, the spice trade, and baseball, as well as booklets and a facsimile of a pre-Revolutionary War letter urging colonies to unite.
The plan was to have the New York Historical Society open it in 1974 — there was even a telegram from the governor at the time, wishing the New York of 1974 all the best — but the capsule was forgotten about until recently, when a curator found it in a warehouse. On Wednesday, a crowd gathered to watch as historian Nick Yablon donned gloves and started taking out the items. "This is the thrill of recovering relics," he told The Associated Press.
The Lower Wall Street Business Men's Association created the time capsule to celebrate the tricentennial of the 1614 charter of the New Netherland Company. The organization no longer exists, but it did inspire the New York Historical Society's high school interns to create their own time capsule, which won't be unsealed until 2114 (hopefully, this time it will be remembered). Their contributions? Tickets to a Lady Gaga concert, Purell hand sanitizer, an iconic Greek-themed New York coffee cup, and a subway poster announcing service changes.
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