The New York Historical Society excitedly unboxed a 100-year-old time capsule from 1914. The bronze box was created by the Lower Wall Street Business Men's Association, a group of merchants, philanthropists, and descendants of American revolutionaries.
“They sealed it down on Wall Street, at the foot of Wall Street, in 1914, and then they entrusted [it] into the New York Historical Society,” said American history professor Nick Yablon. “And it’s remained indoors, unlike some, which are buried underneath statues or under the ground.”
The box was originally intended to be opened in 1974, but everyone seemed to have forgotten about it until the 1990s. Historians thought they should hold off until the 100-year anniversary. Inside weren't the personal or sentimental items one might expect. Instead they contained old books, newspapers, medals, telegraphs — small pieces of history. To commemorate the event, a group of high school historians are re-filling the box with their own personal items. They put in earbuds, concert tickets, and a Subway card.
“We’re just trying to tell them how our everyday lives were,” 10th-grader Youssef Abdelzaher said. “Nothing special. What people wore, what people drank, what people ate and things like that. Where we went on every day, how we got there.”
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