Shock as time capsule found inside house wall predicted future of Islam
A TIME capsule found hidden inside a home in Sydney has revealed a series of spookily accurate predictions about life today.
The time capsule letter was filled with all sorts of predictions - some eerily accurate
The letter, which was buried 22 years ago, correctly predicted China becoming an economic superpower.
And in a chillingly detailed prediction the letter said Islam will plunge parts of the world into a ridiculous 'holy war'."
The typed latter was sealed with protective plastic inside a wall cavity and was found by tradesman Sasha Ilic while renovating the bathroom of a home in Rozelle, western Sydney.
PAGE ONE - the letter was found inside a wall cavity
Eerily, the letter was written six years before the September 11 terror attacks, which sparked a 15-year US military campaign in Afghanistan, and marked the beginning of regular terror attacks in the West.
Written by Greg Wilkinson, who was aged 45 at the time of writing, it read: “Islam will become the next ideological problem sparking an equal and opposite reaction plunging large parts of the globe in a ridiculous 'holy war’.
“Factions within either doctrine will also suffer this holier than thou attitude and this war will go on for a very long time.”
He also predicted China would become “a world economic superpower” with the United States as its largest trading partner.
PAGE TWO - Mr Wilkinson hid the letter on Easter Sunday in 1995
The letter was posted on Facebook after being discovered, with Mr Wilkinson soon tracked down.
Now 61, he told local the Sydney Morning Herald: “'Who would have thought back then that (Facebook) was how it would be exposed.
“At first when I saw the letter up on Facebook I felt a little violated.
“Then having thought about it and with the predictions it really highlighted the progress of the internet in 22 years and, without it, how would they ever have found me?”
PAGE THREE - The letter was posted to Facebook as the search for the author began
The letter started: “Hello whoever you are.
“This letter was put into this stud wall on Easter Saturday, 15th April, 1995. It is p*****g down and so a good day to be renovating.”
The three-page letter was typed on Word for Windows V5.0, using a “top of the scale” 486 laptop with a humble 8MB of RAM and 240MB hard drive.
By comparison, the standard computer in 2017 typically features 8GB of RAM and a 320GB hard drive - more than 1,500 times the size and speed of Mr Wilkinson's machine.
Greg Wilkinson is now 61 years old and was alarmed to discover the letter on Facebook
Mr Wilkinson's less successful predictions included: “Paul Keating is Prime Minister. He is pushing hard for Australia to become a Republic by the year 2000. He is a real go-getter, seen as arrogant but street wise.
“He is a strong leader with very little opposition at all and I think he will be in for a long time.”
Mr Wilkinson’s predictions on that front fell flat, with the Labour leader serving for only five years, before being ousted by John Howard - he went on to hold the post for the next nine years.
The typed latter was sealed with protective plastic inside a wall cavity
The letter also include insights into everyday life, revealing that a case of “really popular” Carlton Cold beer cost £14.90 (AUD$24.95), compared to £35 (AUD$50) a case today, while one litre of fuel would set you back just 40p (AUD$0.68) in 1995.
Mr Wilkinson was also not a fan of the internet, which he described as a “big deal”, adding: “This is just exploding and every man and his dog wants to 'surf' the internet. Please tell me this expression has now died.”