The world's oldest time capsule discovered after 219 years by complete accident
Many buried time capsules in 2000 with the plan to open them this year in 2025 - but this one is the oldest ever found on record.
This fascinating time capsule is the oldest ever discovered - and found completely by accident.
This year is a big year for time capsule openings as many people buried time capsules in 2000 and plan to open them this year, in 2025.
But while these capsules will reveal treasures from the noughties which many will remember, the world’s oldest time capsule told a much different story when it was opened in 2014.
Workers were fixing a leak at the Massachusetts State House in Boston and accidentally unearthed the time capsule which was more than two centuries old.
It had been buried by Samuel Adams who by then had become governor of Massachusetts, Paul Revere and William Scollay in 1795.
At the time, a huge ceremony was held to mark the buying of the time capsule with 15 white horses and a 15 gun salute.
In October 2014, officials opened the container after historians decided the preservation of its contents meant it should be opened.
According to records, the whole thing had been opened once before, in 1855, while repairs were done to the State House where it was kept.
The capsule was x-rayed before it was opened to see if items were in tact - historians could see that they were as the x-ray showed coins and paper.
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In front of a large crowd, the 10-pound capsule was opened at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston with press and history enthusiasts watching.
The museum's Head of Objects Conservation, Pam Hatchfield, spent about five hours delicately loosening the screws that held down the lid.
Inside, conservators found a well-preserved collection of Revolutionary-era artifacts, as well as some dating to the first opening in 1855.
There were coins dating back as far as 1652 and newspapers which were impressively still readable even after all the years they had been locked away for.
But these were not the only items found in the capsule. There was also a title page of the first volume of the Massachusetts Colony Records, a paper impression of the Seal of the Commonwealth, a medal depicting George Washington and a silver plaque commemorating the erection of the State House.
Today, the items are on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
