Experiencing The Past
Time traveling is one of the most interesting concepts out there. It doesn't take a highly advanced scientist to wonder about the possibilities that time traveling entails. I mean, we have movies like Back to the Future that already show us what it could be like.
Believe it or not, we still aren't certain about whether time travel is even physically possible. Traveling forward in time is a phenomenon that is definitely better understood in terms of special relativity. But time capsules allow us to travel in time differently. We don't need to give ourselves a headache while trying to wrap our heads around the concept of relativity.
A Professional's Viewpoint
However, while most of us might think that having time capsules are an incredible way to both "time travel" as well as to connect different people from different times, there are specialists that believe otherwise. For instance, William E. Jarvis is a historian that refers to most of the contents found in capsules as "useless junk".
As a man that specializes in time capsules, he says that in the majority of the cases, whatever is found in these capsules doesn't hold much value or information pertaining to the people that buried it in the first place. On the other hand, he is a supporter of illustrative capsule items, which are items that inform people of everyday life from the past.
Against Time Capsules
Jarvis argues against time capsules because he says that once people open one, information is lost about the generations that came in between the time capsule creators and the finders. Furthermore, the historian doubts that time capsules are effective at all when it comes to the preservation of artifacts.
He says that, considering the underground conditions that the objects are in when stored in a time capsule, one cannot assure that the found artifacts were intact since the day they were buried. Furthermore, it is more than likely that some objects are lost.
Different Opinions
But while it is always good to take into account several perspectives to arrive at a well-informed conclusion, it's good to hear that other professionals do see the benefits of time capsules. Take for instance the capsule found in the Thompson Middle School in Nova Scotia.
In 2018, the North Sydney Historical Society made a surprising discovery when they unearthed a rumored time capsule in the ruins of the Middle School. The society's president Joe Meaney said: “We knew there was something there, but we didn’t know exactly what it was, how big it was, or anything of that nature.”
The Findings
You might be wondering what exactly was found in this 2018 unearthed time capsule. Well, some of the things that popped out were a newspaper that dated back to 1949, documents that involved people of high importance and a wallet.
The principal of the High School himself was there when they opened and inspected the items in the time capsule and he said: "You never know what you’re going to find in it. And there was a lot of history in that time capsule, there’s no two ways about it.”
Another 2018 Time Capsule
Now you might think what are the odds that yet another time capsule is found in 2018 right? Well, there was one found right here in America. This one was discovered in Kenowa Hills Central Elementary school in Michigan by a construction crew.
When it was time to open it up and reveal its contents, the principal, Dr. Cherie Horner along with some students huddled around the cache. A beautiful finding was a newspaper article that contained a dedicated note in memory of David Michael Raap, a child that has passed at the tender age of 10.
Crucial Paperwork
Along with the newspaper memory, they found four documents that turned out to be of high value. This paperwork talked about how important it was for the academic institution to maintain middle school values.
Back in 2018, the principal, Dr. Horner, stated: “Our entire building is going to be undergoing construction until basically 2020, so if there are additional time capsules, I’m sure we’re going to find them in the next few years.” We hope they've found something from then!
The Shenandoah Time Capsule
But while the previous two 2018 findings were rather interesting, the Shenandoah University in Virginia is the one that captivates us the most. After all, this one was buried under a polished slab of concrete that read: "Class of ’93 time capsule, open in the year 2018.”
Rather than being hidden, it was very apparent that there was a time capsule waiting to be unearthed and that is exactly what faculty members and students did in October of 2018. The moment was so anticipated that the university even uploaded a video online to show the world the amazing opening.
A Much Awaited Ceremony
Right before they were about to open the time capsule, a spokesperson began the ceremony by welcoming everybody in the audience. “Welcome, thank you for joining us for our 1993 flashback,” they said. “I also want to say thank you to the class of ’93 for thinking of us 25 years ago.”
And to clarify any suspicions, another spokesperson said: “We have not opened this. This is not a joke; we have not opened it so we don’t know what’s in it.” And when it was time to open the capsule, it was clear that this was true because there was some resistance when officials tried opening the lid.
Finally Open
After some struggling, the capsule was finally open and as you can see, it was clear that the contents had been affected by the moisture from underground. The very first thing that was pulled out from it was a piece of sheet music named "Sketches & Reflection 1993".
While not completely certain, officials suspect that the sheet was composed by hand by Jena Marie root, a Bachelor of Music graduate. However, this was not the only music-related artifact that was concealed in the time capsule.
A Very Recognizable Finding
The following item that was pulled out from the 1993 time capsule was a vinyl record from The Beatles. This record included some of their best hits, such as “Twist and Shout,” “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Love Me Do.”
The crowd cheered when this item was pulled out, after all, everybody knows The Beatles and there is just something extra nostalgic and romantic about finding such an old album by a world-renowned band like The Beatles.
An Assortment Of Findings
Other than those two music-related items, the time capsule contained objects that were rather far apart category wise. For instance, there was an acting award in the form of a statue adorned with the writing "Best Actor" and the university's pin.
However, while some students had opted for a very significant belonging to be buried in the time capsules, others were more interested in leaving behind some more common objects. Examples include a plastic dinosaur and a pack of condoms that yes, was expired.
Signed Objects
Other examples of random findings include a stone carving in the shape of a hippo that had some sort of writing on it and a set of bubble blowing toys in the form of pacifiers. Clearly, each person had a very different interpretation of what to place in the time capsule.
However, one of the items that were found had the unmistakable signature of its contributor, and that was a musical recital program left there by Tobie Norwood Robinson. The program not only included his name but also those that had been in the performance with him.
The Yearbook
Probably an item that is of no surprise, the yearbook of the class of 1993 was also found in the unearthed time capsule. Sadly, this one had suffered severe groundwater damage and there wasn't much that they could extract from it.
Officials referred to the found yearbook as "mush". But like most yearbooks, there was an original one kept by the University that wasn't left underground. So the class of 1993 definitely had a hard copy of their best memories.
Entertainment From Back In The Day
Some of the capsule's contributors decided to give 2018 a glimpse of what type of entertainment they enjoyed. For instance, a newspaper called The Winchester Star had a listing of the popular TV shows at the time.
These showings suggest what the young people from 1993 were most likely watching. Among the listings, they found The Wonder Years finale, Saved by the Bell and Baywatch, some classic shows that we still refer to in the present day.
Political Findings
Another item that spoke more of the contributor than of the time capsule was buried was a political campaign object from 1992. Confirmed by University professors, Mike L. Kelly was a Bachelor of Science graduate majoring in communications that decided to bury a political badge.
The badge had a direct relation to the time when Bill Clinton and Al Gore were competing for the American presidency. Clearly, Mike Kelly was both interested in politics as well as reminding the future generations to come about the political candidates.
On The Bright Side
Probably what most people were expecting when opening a 1993 time capsule, this finding is what we've all been waiting for. A handwritten note filled with nostalgia. Marvin Everette Grice Jr, a graduate in Music performance left a beautiful note for one of his friends.
The note read: “Request: Gloria Warner, To dance with Marvin Grice on 5-6-93. 8-?” While nobody knows if his request was granted given the University cannot confirm it, we would like to know that Gloria Warner said yes.
The Singing Trio
Another more personal finding was a photograph of this trio of students in Switzerland during the University's choir tour back in 1991. The women pictured below are Vera Massarotto, Barbara Ellen Hartsell, and Catherine Ann Avia Burzio, all of whom are voice performers.
To even personalize this photograph more, the three women left some handwritten notes addressing their hopes for the future. Hartsell wrote: “In 25 years, I see myself as an executive in a performing arts or visual arts organization. I hope to be happily married and have two or three healthy, well-adjusted children.”
Hopes And Dreams
Burzio's hopes were also to stay very close to her musical background. She wrote: “In 25 years, I see myself as Dr. Cathy, directing choral ensembles and theater productions at a small college.” Clearly, her dreams were to pass on her artistic learnings.
But Burzio also wrote about her hopes and dreams, unrelated to her career and this one was very heartwarming. She wrote: “I hope to be happily married with three or four children, possibly one adopted. I see myself living in the Midwest, waiting for grandchildren to come along at any time.”