The United States, marking the 250th anniversary of independence, is making a time capsule to be opened in 2276, the 500th anniversary of the founding, and will bury it near Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
According to AFP on the 2nd (local time), America250, which oversees events for the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, plans to place items symbolizing today's American society into a 400-kilogram cylindrical time capsule and bury it near Independence Hall.
The time capsule will not be opened until 2276, the 500th anniversary of the founding of the United States.
The capsule contains a variety of items donated by the 50 U.S. states, five territories, and sports and cultural organizations. Ohio donated a piece of wing fabric from the Wright brothers' aircraft that achieved the world's first powered flight in 1903, and Maine donated bones from the endangered North Atlantic right whale.
California sent materials depicting what the state will look like in 250 years as predicted by the artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Claude, and New Mexico included a local cookie recipe.
America250 also placed a latest-model orange iPhone in the capsule. A leather-made football was excluded because it would be difficult to preserve for 250 years.
For long-term preservation, the time capsule was specially designed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The cylindrical container is wrapped again with a metal outer shell to create an air layer, and it is sealed with indium to prevent moisture from seeping in.
The United States has made time capsules on several occasions tied to Independence Day in the past. The time capsule buried in 1876 was opened in 1976, and another time capsule created in 1976 for the bicentennial will be opened in 2076.
America250 Chair Rosie Rios said, "I hope it helps future generations 250 years from now understand what people in the United States considered important at the 250th anniversary of the founding and what kind of society they lived in."