1914 was a hectic year for the whole world; all of Europe was seeing the beginnings of the horror that was to be known as "The Great War." But in a small bronze box a group of some Wall Street businessmen decided to make a time capsule which would forever encapsulate their "simpler" era.
The capsule was set to be opened 60 years later, but by 1974 the ornate box had been left behind, and just like the time capsule hidden by Paul Revere and Sam Adams, it was simply forgotten about as the years trickled by.
The box was found again in the 1990s, but historians figured to wait until the 100th anniversary before they decided to open up the contents. So finally, 100 years later, as workers wearing special purple surgical gloves gathered around the bronze mystery, they slowly removed the 26 screws to look at what was hiding inside.
Newspapers, perfectly kept, medals, documents dating back from the Revolutionary War, and even a telegram from New York's then governor, which simply (and ironically) read, “May every problem which now engages the attention of New York have found a solution.”
This box has certainly lived through a lot in the tumultuous 20th century. From the trenches of the great war followed shortly by the second world war, it's sad to think of everything that's happened over the years.
While the contents of the box weren't incredibly rare or worth a lot, the mere fact that they're a direct link to such a long time ago is absolutely mind-boggling. The vast chasm of time can never be walked over, but with items like this we can certainly feel a more concrete relation to our ancestors.
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