# What would you put in a time capsule? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855 "2010-07-16T00:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/1 "2010-07-16T00:13:51Z")
Your city is burying a time capsule that won’t be dug up until 2110, and you’re one of the people in charge of deciding what to put in it. What do you pick and why? ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/2 "2010-07-16T00:33:49Z")
A [hand turkey](http://maydayart.com/loveblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/hand-turkey.jpg) with the Pledge of Allegiance under it. A note attached to the picture would say: Dear Future, From 1980 to 2010, the only two things people remember from their US public school education is the Pledge of Allegiance and hand turkeys. In my time, the hand turkey has come to symbolize the abject failure of education in America. If you are still teaching how to draw a hand turkey, please fold this paper in the shape of a pyramid and shove it up your collectives assholes. Regards, The Past ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/3 "2010-07-16T00:34:46Z")
A singing frog, of course. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/4 "2010-07-16T00:52:40Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > A singing frog, of course. Or one of those Billy Bass things maybe? On the serious side, several books, newspaper articles and DVDs on the “2012” thing -------- folks in the future would get a real chuckle out of them and us. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/5 "2010-07-16T03:14:58Z")
Well, you have to put in train schedules, just to honor the cliche. And the front page of the NYT, and one of every coin minted in the year. But what would be interesting in only one hundred years, in these hyper historically aware times? A copy of the Constitution of the United States in every media developed since its birth; hand copy, typed copy, translated into morse/telegraph code, both discs, jump drives, dos and linux; also chiseled in stone in in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Coptic, and Greek. Since we have entered a post literate age, we should have recordings in every media, too. And a Twinkie. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/6 "2010-07-16T19:42:20Z")
I would put in stuff just to mess with their heads. A shoe, some hardcore porn, a newspaper article about how the senate approved a measure to remove any mention of President Palin from all history books and public records, some junk mail, a voodoo doll, and a snuggie. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/7 "2010-07-16T20:17:20Z")
Sarah Palin. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/8 "2010-07-16T20:45:47Z")
Copies of current and historical photos of the area. These will only become more scarce over the next 100 years. I love looking at old photos from where my house is now, and seeing where the old schools/fields/mills etc were. Minutes from the last few town council meetings - what were our issues. A copy of this year’s city budget - “They only paid THAT much for snow plowing?” A current phone book - it would show was has changed and what has stayed the same. School class photos - “Look Timmy, there is grandpa when he was 6” ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/9 "2010-07-16T20:51:40Z")
Some popular magazines: Maxim, Good Housekeeping, People, National Geographic. Not so much for the content itself, but the ads. I LOVE seeing how advertising has changed over the years! The fonts, the aggresiveness or demureness of the pitch, the hairstyles, the theme colors (hello, harvest gold!), the values being promoted. OK, the content, too. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/10 "2010-07-16T21:19:50Z")
> [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](#): > > … > A copy of this year’s city budget - “They only paid THAT much for snow plowing?” “Plow snow? What does that mean? Did they sow crops in this legendary white stuff?” ---
**Author:** ![dmatsch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3be4f8/32.png) [@dmatsch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmatsch)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/11 "2010-07-20T18:47:00Z")
I would definitely put in only one thing: today’s winning lottery numbers. I would open up the capsule a few days away from today and finally be filthy stinkin’ rich! …wait. Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Yarster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/7c8e57/32.png) [@Yarster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yarster)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/12 "2010-07-20T23:06:43Z")
I’d put in the latest greatest iPhone as a representation of our ‘primitive entertainment technology’ at the time. I’d probably also put in some Obama presidential stuff as the first black President. Oh, and definitely one used condom - you know - just to fuck with the people of the future. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-put-in-a-time-capsule/546855/13 "2010-07-21T02:00:04Z")
I’d write down a number that was my guess as to what the total casualty figures in the now 109-year old war in Afghanistan would be.