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How to Write a Time Capsule Letter + Examples

Updated 01/15/2021

Published 04/2/2020

Kate Wight, BA in English

Contributing writer

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Time capsules are fun to put together no matter your age. It’s a great activity for anyone’s bucket list . Time capsules are often put together during a momentous time in people’s lives. They could commemorate a graduation, a wedding, or the birth of a child. When it’s opened years later, the items inside serve as a unique version of a family heirloom .

Jump ahead to these sections:

• How to Write a Time Capsule Letter for Yourself

Examples of a Time Capsule Letter to Your Future Self

How to write a time capsule letter for your child, grandchild, or another loved one, examples of a time capsule letter to a loved one.

Time capsules contain special items that remind people of the era the capsule was sealed. This might include a mixtape filled with nostalgic songs or a newspaper from the day the capsule was closed. Time capsules often contain a letter.

If you’re putting together a time capsule, this letter could be to your future self. It could also be addressed to a child, grandchild, or another loved one who might open the time capsule someday. Here are our tips on crafting the perfect time capsule letter.  

Tip: Before you start writing your letter, make sure your time capsule box can handle the job. Read our article on how to make a time capsule container for tips and instructions.

How to Write a Time Capsule Letter to Yourself

If you’re writing a letter to yourself, you might not know where to begin. Writing letters to other people is easy because you have information to communicate with them. Writing a letter to yourself is more challenging. You already know all the things you know!

But keep in mind, you’re writing to yourself in the future. Things that are fresh in your mind now may have faded away completely in five or ten years. Here are some tips to help you get started:  

Step 1: State why you’re writing the letter

Most time capsules are put together to commemorate an important milestone in your life. If this is the case, be sure to talk about that in your letter.

Are you a graduating teen creating a time capsule for yourself to revisit in the future? Discuss that and fill in information about what life is like. That will help your adult self dial into your state of mind.

Step 2: Talk about your feelings

When you open a time capsule, you may remember what your motivation was, kind of. But you might not recall your deeper emotions at the time.

If you’re creating a time capsule to remember a period in your life, include your feelings. Are you happy? Frustrated? Is your heart set on someplace or goal for the future? Talk about your state of mind and your wishes.

Step 3: Write about specific events

Focusing on something concrete might help you figure out what else you want to say. Fill in specific details of what’s going on in your life right now. That information can help ground you.  

Step 4: Write about memories

Sometimes we create time capsules because we’re feeling nostalgic about certain eras of our lives. Our memories may not serve us as well as we wish. So we create a time capsule for our future self to remind them of memories that elude us.

Talk about meaningful memories that have made an impact on you. Write them out in detail to give your future self something fun to remember. 

Step 5: Talk about your day-to-day

If your time capsule isn’t motivated by a certain event, you may be struggling with what to say. Why not present a slice of your current life.

Things that seem so routine to you now may be a distant, funny memory to you in the future. Or your future self may follow all the same routines without realizing how far back these quirks extend. From there, you can talk about who your closest friends are at this moment in time, and all the other important things in your life.

Still at a loss for words? Here are a few examples of letters written to a future self:

1. Dear Future Me,

Last night I graduated from high school. I don’t really know how I feel about it yet. It’s weird to feel like I’m basically an adult when I don’t really know anything about being on my own. On the other hand, it’s super annoying that all the grown-ups in my life keep telling me how much I don’t know about life. I know enough to know I’m not completely unprepared.

I’m writing this letter to myself to remind myself that when I’m an adult, I shouldn’t make teenagers feel stupid. The world we live in is kind of intense and scary. I’m not unaware of that. I can only imagine it will be weirder in the future. I want to make sure I remember when I have kids not to treat them like they don’t get it.

2. Dear Future Self,

I’m writing this letter on day one of my self-imposed Year of No Dating. Growing up, I used to criticize my mom for her terrible taste in men. But now that I’m in my twenties, I see myself making the same mistakes she did. Unlike her though, I don’t have kids yet to mess up with my bad choices. I’d like to someday, though. So that’s why I’m going to do the work and fix this now.

I’m creating this time capsule at the recommendation of my therapist. I plan to write about all my exes and break down what has been going wrong in my relationships. By doing this, I hope to address my behavior. I also want to learn to recognize patterns that I can avoid in the future. At the end of the year, I’ll revisit everything in this capsule. I’ll also review my conclusions before getting serious with someone in the future.  

If you’re writing a time capsule letter for a loved one, it’s a little easier to know what to write. The main thing is to talk about your intentions. This is especially important if you don’t know that you’ll be around to answer any questions when it is opened in the future. Here are some other good tips:

Step 1: Make sure to address the letter to its intended recipient

If you’re creating a time capsule with the intent that a loved one should open it, include that information in your letter. If you’re writing a letter to someone specific, like a loved one, address it to their name.

If you’re writing it to unknown loved ones, like a grandchild who hasn’t been born yet, keep the greeting more general. For instance: “Dear future grandchildren”. 

Step 2: Communicate the why

Let the recipient know why you’ve created the time capsule. If you’re doing it to celebrate the birth of your first grandchild, you can talk about that.

You can also write out any hopes and dreams you have for them and make predictions about what their future hobbies or talents might be. 

Step 3: Explain why you included each artifact

If you’re worried you won’t be around when the time capsule is opened, you can write out why you included each item or family heirloom inside.

Even if you do plan to be around, write it out anyway. You’d be surprised what you might forget about in five or ten years.

Step 4: Share specific memories

Sometimes, when people are looking for fun memory jar ideas , they decide to use a time capsule instead of a jar. If you do this, you can skip over including objects and write out several memories instead.

You can include these memories in a letter, or write them on individual slips of paper so multiple people can read them together. 

Not sure how to get started? It’s okay! Check our examples of time capsule letters for loved ones: 

1. To My Dearest Love,

Tomorrow I get to marry you. I know I should be sleeping, but I’m just too excited. I look so forward to our life together. I’ve decided to start a time capsule. I’m filling it with mementos of our relationship up until now. I’ll also include little things from our wedding, including an invitation and flowers from my bouquet. I also plan to write down some of my favorite memories of our time together. In ten years, I look forward to opening this up with you and walking down memory lane

2. Dear future grandchildren,

I am writing this note to you because I am very ill. As much as I hope to be there in your lives, I may take my last breath before you take your first.

But I think it’s the job of every grandparent to tell their grandbabies all about their parents. So I’ve put together this time capsule for my daughter—your mother—so you can see her through my eyes. 

Writing a Time Capsule Letter to Yourself or a Loved One

Time capsules can be a sweet way to remember a family member or preserve memories associated with a special moment in your life. They can also serve as a fun slice-of-life for your future self to look back on.

Whether you create your time capsule for yourself or a loved one, the letter you enclose can clarify your reasoning. The letter may be the most interesting thing in your time capsule. Take the time to make it special. 

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Writing a Memorable Time Capsule Letter to Child

Gabrielle is an experienced freelance writer and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with experience using equine-assisted therapy.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Writing a time capsule letter to a child is a great way to connect with them and help them understand this exact moment in time. It can be a really special experience for them to read your letter later on.

Time Capsule Letter to a Child

Whether you are writing to an existing child or a future child, a time capsule letter can be a truly meaningful, tangible object for them to hold on to and keep for the rest of their lives.

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How to Write a Time Capsule Letter

When writing a time capsule letter to an existing or future child:

• Adress them directly in the letter
• Note why you are writing to them
• Express how you feel in this moment and share some relevant memories
• Discuss why you included certain objects in the time capsule
• Note your hopes and wishes for them
• Offer any words of wisdom or advice you'd like them to know

Time Capsule Letter to Child Examples

Looking at time capsule letter examples for a child can help you get started if you aren't sure how to write this letter. Reading through a few examples can begin to inspire your own letter. Keep in mind if you are writing to a future child, you can say "Dear future (insert relationship)".

What to Write in Time Capsule Letter to Daughter or Son

An example of a time capsule letter to a daughter or son:

Dear Blake,

I am writing you this letter to let you know how much I love you and to give you a glimpse into what your world is like today. Today's date is May 22, and as of right now, you are three years old. Today we celebrated your birthday, and you had the best time. You ate lots of chocolate cake (that's your favorite), and opened presents from friends and family members. I love you so much and had such a wonderful day celebrating you. You have grown into such a kind, curious, and hilarious toddler, and I love watching you explore the world.

My hope is that when you're 18, you open up this time capsule and get a snapshot of your toddlerhood. In this time capsule I've included:

• Pictures of your loved ones
• Memorabilia from our favorite neighborhood cafes and restaurants
• A lock of your hair from your first haircut
• A few pieces of artwork that you made

My wish for you is to always know how loved you are, and to forever live your life with the curiosity and kindness that you have now.

Lots of love,

How to Write a Time Capsule Letter to Grandchild

A sample time capsule letter to your granddaughter or grandson :

Dear Sheng,

I wanted to create a time capsule for you to enjoy long after I'm gone. I want you to know how much I've enjoyed our time together and also give you a glimpse into what my life was like when I was your age. I've included some pictures of myself when I was 16, as well as one of my favorite books, a list of my favorite movies, and a few napkins from my favorite restaurants. You'll find images of:

• Me with my parents
• Me with your grandmother (we met when we were 15)
• Me with my dog
• Me eating at my favorite restaurant
• Lots of pictures of us together

While things are certainly different for a 16-year-old today, I want you to remember how much we have in common. I am very proud of the person you are developing in to and my hope for you is that you always follow your dreams. When it came to work, I wasn't able to follow my passion, but I really hope you do. Even after I'm gone, remember that I will always be with you. I love you so much.

Time Capsule Letter From Parents

A sample time capsule letter from parents :

Dear Kiara,

Right now we are still patiently awaiting your arrival. Your mom is 8 months pregnant, and we are so beyond excited to meet you. We decided to create a time capsule for you that you can open when you're 18 and see what it was like for us before you came into the world. In this time capsule we've included:

• Pictures of our the house where you will live
• Images of your nursery
• A list of nursery rhymes and music that we've been singing to you every night
• Sweet notes from your baby shower from loved ones
• A list of the "it" toys and baby gear that are popular now
• The prices of baby accessories and clothing

You are already so adored and we hope that you always feel unconditional love, guidance, and support from us. While we know we'll make mistakes as parents, we will work hard every day to ensure that you have the best life possible and grow into the person you want to be.

Mom and Mommy

Time Capsule Letter for 1-Year-Old

A sample time capsule letter for a one-year-old:

Dear Aliyah,

You are only one-year-old and we couldn't love you more. You have brought so much light into our life and we could not imagine our world without you. We wanted to create a time capsule that you can look back on when you're a bit older, so you can see what the world was like when you were growing up. In our time capsule we've included:

• Clippings from newspapers stating major world events
• A list of prices of groceries that we typically buy
• Memorabilia from our favorite places to take you
• Business cards from our go to restaurants
• A list of the typical gadgets and technology we use on a daily basis and the cost of each
• A list of our favorite movies and music
• A list of your favorite songs, shows, and books

Our wish for you is that you always go with your gut and follow your dreams. We will always support you and stand by your side no matter what. We love you so much!

Dad and Mom

Time Capsule Letter

Crafting a time capsule letter for a child or future child is a sweet way to tell them about this moment in time, while also expressing your feelings towards them, as well as any hopes you have for their future.

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How to Create a Time Capsule

Last Updated: April 1, 2024 Tested

Sample Time Capsule Letters

Assembling your contents, choosing a container, finding a location, storing the time capsule.

This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff . Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. The wikiHow Video Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 744,848 times. Learn more...

Time capsules are fun to make, and even more, fun to open years down the line. A time capsule can be any container that holds objects meant for people to open in the future, whether that be in 5, 10, or even 100 years. A good time capsule will hold its contents safely, preserving them for a future version of yourself, your grandchildren, or even a stranger. Soon you will have the skills to create a time capsule that will thrill and fascinate someone in the future.

• If you are struggling to find an audience, think about what kind you would most like to open. Do you wish your grandparents had left you a time capsule filled with memorabilia and handwritten notes? Does the thought of opening a 150 year old capsule left by someone lost to time long ago thrill you?
• If the capsule is for yourself, focus on personal mementos of your life as it is right now. Things like a pair of earbuds you wore every day for 2 years, an old key, or a takeout menu from a favorite restaurant will bring memories back in just a few years.
• For a time capsule that you plan to pass down to your children or grandchildren, find things that will interest them about your life and your world. Both personal objects of significance to you and your family, like wedding invitations, and things that depict the state of the world, like technology, are good choices.
• If your capsule is for people in the far future to uncover long after you are gone, focus on the era you are in. Things that may seem to be of little value now may be fascinating to someone in 75 or 100 years.
• Toys can change over the years more than you might think, and for a child they can be fondly remembered years later.
• Be sure to keep the paper in plastic sleeves to ensure that it is preserved.
• These are especially vulnerable to damage, so protect them in special archival sheets if the capsule will last more than 5 years.
• If you are out of ideas for what to put in your time capsule, run through your daily activities in your head. What objects do you use? What do you look at? What do you read? Asking yourself these questions can give you many new ideas.
• Write the letter as though it were addressed directly to whoever will open the capsule. This will give it a much more personal feeling than a letter that is closer to a list of facts than a piece of communication.

• It's okay to not have a specific date for the capsule to be opened. Maybe you want to open it when you are married or reach retirement.

• Keep in mind that a capsule made of cardboard or paper may be completely destroyed by fire, flood, or other natural disaster.

• One example of a sturdy home-built PVC container is a PVC tube with an end cap attached with PVC cement and a test cap lid that can be screwed tightly into the pipe. [9] X Research source
• Consider using desiccant "gel bags", such as those included in the packaging of electronic goods and in bottles of vitamin tablets. These help to absorb any moisture that may have been present at the time of encapsulation and help to kill microbes that may make some of your items perish.
• Be sure to store your outdoor capsule in a place that is safe from development and construction, like just outside a national park or landmark, particularly if you choose to bury it.
• Another positive side of underground storage is that it is less likely to be removed or opened early as it might be indoors. Outdoor storage has a better chance of staying in one place.

• These above-ground time capsules are called Geocapsules and can provide a further level of adventure to the time capsule experience.
• Avoid using ink to mark the outside of a buried capsule. An engraving would hold up best, but weather-grade paint is another good option.
• Noting these dates on the outside and inside of the capsule creates extra assurance.

• Consider writing the location and opening date in your will, or leave a letter with a grandchild containing instructions.
• Take photographs of your placement, identify GPS coordinates, and write down all data important for relocating the precise location.
• Register the time capsule to make it feel more official, and give the capsule a higher chance of being found if all else fails. [14] X Research source

Community Q&A

• Remember to mark the current date on the time capsule. Thanks Helpful 4 Not Helpful 0
• Go looking for time capsules you may already have. Has Grandma forgotten a suitcase, trunk, or journal in her attic? Does your local library have old magazines, maps, or books you could explore? Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
• If possible, use acid-free paper if you choose to include papers, books, or writing. Thanks Helpful 3 Not Helpful 1

• Consider the life span of other objects, too. A plastic toy might weather the years better than a book or magazine, especially if the time capsule is ever exposed to water. Thanks Helpful 14 Not Helpful 2
• Don't put perishable items in your time capsule. Nobody wants a 40-year-old peanut butter sandwich! Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 3
• Always treat antiques, historical artifacts, and other records of the past with care and respect so that their messages can reach future generations, too. Thanks Helpful 13 Not Helpful 3

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• ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/magazine/how-to-make-a-time-capsule.html
• ↑ https://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/educational/timecapsule/ISUL.pdf
• ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/magazine/how-to-make-a-time-capsule.html#
• ↑ https://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/timecapsule.pdf
• ↑ https://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to-plans/how-to/g2183/how-to-build-an-indestructible-time-capsule/
• ↑ https://dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/archives/preserve/time-capsule/
• ↑ https://crypt.oglethorpe.edu/international-time-capsule-society/most-wanted-time-capsules/
• ↑ https://crypt.oglethorpe.edu/international-time-capsule-society/register-your-time-capsule/
• ↑ https://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/educational/timecapsule/FordCC.pdf

About This Article

To create a time capsule, start by finding a shoebox, bin, or old suitcase. Then, pack it with items that show what it’s like to live today. For example, pack a recent newspaper or magazine, currency, fashionable clothes, photographs, or packaging from your favorite candies. You can also write a description of what it’s like to live today so you can see how much the world has changed when you open the time capsule. For instance, write about current fads, attitudes, and hot topics of the day. When you’ve finished making your time capsule, you can store it inside to protect it from the elements, or you can bury it outside. If you choose to bury your time capsule, add a few gel bags to reduce moisture and stop your items decaying over the years. For more tips, including how to set a reminder to open your time capsule, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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A Time Capsule

HIGH SCHOOL PROMPTS

If you had been alive during the time of the American Revolutionary War and had the chance to secrete something for others to discover centuries later, what would you have put into your box?

It turns out that two famous men from that period created a time capsule and placed it inside one of the cornerstones of the Massachusetts State House in Boston in 1795, and the box was recently found. You can read more about how it was found here .

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was honored to open this special time capsule to find out what was in it. Here’s a list of items found in the brass box:

-Silver and copper coins—dating from 1652 to 1855 -Silver plaque thought to be engraved by Paul Revere -Copper medal depicting George Washington -Newspapers -Paper impression of the Seal of the Commonwealth -Calling or business cards -Title page from the Massachusetts Colony Records

You can read more about it here .

Now it’s your turn: You are going to gather items and create a time capsule. These items can be representative of your life or your country’s current culture. Think about the people who might open it 200 years from now. What would you want them to know about your life or your country?

Make a list of the items you will include in your time capsule. What will you put them in? Where will you bury it?

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The New York Times

The learning network | time in a capsule.

Time in a Capsule

Note: This lesson was originally published on an older version of The Learning Network; the link to the related Times article will take you to a page on the old site.

Teaching ideas based on New York Times content.

• See all lesson plans »

Overview of Lesson Plan: In this lesson, students analyze the meaning and process of categorizing items, people and events as ‘the best.’ Students then defend pieces of literature, images, and sounds that they feel most represent ‘the best of the 20th century.’ These persuasive defenses may then be submitted to The New York Times for the Times Capsule project.

Author(s): Alison Zimbalist, The New York Times Learning Network

Suggested Time Allowance: 45 minutes- 1 hour

Objectives: Students will: 1. List what objects, printed images, sounds and literature they feel would best tell people of the future what they need to know about the 20th century; understand the Times Capsule project. 2. Assess why people in the 20th century so often create lists qualifying what they feel are “the best” examples in different areas of life by reading and discussing “Why the Best?” 3. Select one “item” each that they feel is so significant to the 1900’s that it represents the “best” of the 20th century, focusing on the categories of words (literature, speech or text), printed image (photograph, painting, drawing), and music. 4. Defend their choices of what to include in the Times Capsule project in a one or two paragraph persuasive statement; submit, if desired, their ideas to The New York Times Times Capsule Project via e-mail.

Resources / Materials: -student journals -pens/ pencils -paper -classroom blackboard -copies of “Why the Best?” (one per student) -access to school or local library

Activities / Procedures: 1. WARM-UP/DO-NOW: In their journals, students respond to the following scenario (written on the board prior to class): “What will people a thousand years from now want to know about life in the late twentieth century? As a way of exploring this question, The New York Times Magazine plans to build a Times Capsule – a sealed deposit of cultural artifacts and knowledge – to be deposited in New York City with instructions that it not be opened until the year 3000. Create a list that includes what objects, printed images (photographs, paintings, drawings), sounds (music or sound recording), or words (pieces of literature, speeches, or texts) will tell people of the future what they need to know about us. Create a list that includes what you feel would best represent the 20th century in these categories (objects, printed images, sounds, and words) for the Times Capsule project.” The students then share their lists, and the teacher writes the items students have listed on the board to create a class list. Then, discuss how objects, images, sounds and words of the 20th century will be relevant to the lives of people living 1000 years from now. What can we learn from past events and people?

2. Read and discuss “Why the Best?,” focusing on the following questions (numbered by paragraph number): (1-3) What do you think is meant by the opening statement of the article, which states that “the world’s progress ‘cannot be scanned by the artificial prosody of the calendar'”? Do you agree with this statement? Why was this statement written in The Times on January 1, 1901? Does it apply today, as the year 2000 approaches? What does it mean to “pillage all past time to tickle the pride of the present,” and how might the various lists that categorize the “best of” the past millennium do just that? (4) Why would The Times now want to create a series ranking the “best of” the millennium in a variety of categories? According to the author, why, “in 1999, (does) the very term ‘the Best’ amount to fighting words”? (5) Who, in the past, has defined our “standards of taste”? Why and how is that changing now? (6) What joke does the writer make in saying that we might find it easier to follow the standards of Mel Brook’s character the 2000-Year Old Man, who deems Saran Wrap as mankind’s greatest achievement? Why might this be “received wisdom today”? (7) What does the writer mean when he says that “we know that the Best (meaning the “Best Of” lists compiled in the New York Times magazine and other publications) is likely to provide a snapshot of our own time, not a definitive guide to that vast expanse of past time we seek to pillage”? (8) What is meant by the statement “the self-portrait that’s painted (in “Best Of” lists) is artistic, not scientific, and the brush strokes are broad”? (9) What are canons? What is canonizing? What does fin de siecle mean? How do these terms relate to the relatively new hobby of creating “Best Of” lists? (10-11) Why, according to the writer, do we in the 20th century have an “incessant hunger to rate almost everything”? How has our “field of vision” changed in the 20th century, and why do we seek to acknowledge the new frontiers that have moved to the forefront of what we in America now consider our global vision? (12) What is “data smog”? Do you agree or disagree with this concept, and why? (13) How have computers aided in our personal creation of “Best Of” lists? (14) What does the writer mean in the last paragraph when he states that “the hope that we can still pare down our choices to a list of essentials is the other faith, besides religion, that we need to survive as the new millennium rushes toward us”?

3. Students will each choose one “item” that they feel is so significant to the 1900’s that it represents the “best” of the 20th century. Their choices must fall into the categories of Words (literature, speech or text), Image (photograph, painting, drawing), and Music. It should be made clear to students that though they are categorizing their choice as the “best,” their item does not necessarily have to be positive (e.g., a student may choose the Starr Report as the Best Effort to Disgrace a President).

4. WRAP-UP/HOMEWORK: Each student defends his or her choice of what to include in the Times Capsule project in a one or two paragraph persuasive statement. Encourage students to support their statements with specific facts, examples and details that may be obtained through brief individual research in the school or local library. Students should share their persuasive paragraphs in a future class. All students are encouraged to submit their ideas to the Times Capsule via The New York Times Learning Network. Students should send their submissions with their first name, e-mail address, grade and city to [email protected], entering Times Capsule in the subject field of the e-mail.

Further Questions for Discussion: –Why are “Best Of” lists so common in American society? –How can a “Best Of” list be compiled when determining the greatness of an item, person, news event, piece of art, etc. is so subjective? –What is the purpose of a time capsule? –What artifacts would best represent American society at this point in time, and why? –What can we learn from examining artifacts from past eras of our own culture? –What can we learn from examining artifacts from other cultures?

Evaluation / Assessment: Students will be evaluated based on written journal responses, participation in class discussions, and thoughtful persuasive paragraphs defending their choices for the Times Capsule.

Vocabulary: prosody, arbitrary, pillage, deplored, alighted, disinterred, exponentially, provocation, canon, pre-emptive, treatise, merits, definitive, contradictions, melancholy, retrospective, hierarchies, canonizing, quantifying, fin de siecle, incessant, commodity, verbiage, deluge, jettison, discern

Extension Activities: 1. Collect and analyze various “Best Of” lists found in magazines and newspapers. On what events and people do you agree? On what events and people do you disagree, and why?

2. Select a significant news event that occurred in the 20th century and write an essay projecting the importance of that event in history, both up to this point in time and in the future.

3. Create a “Best Of” book representing the past and present history of your city or town. Different students in the class can survey various people in the community on a wide range of categories (e.g., Best Local Television Personality, Best Restaurant, Best Urban Legend, Best Historical Monument) and create a book that illustrates the findings with specific facts and details about the different “winners.”

4. Write a short story about a person who finds a time capsule created in a specific historical era, either in the United States or elsewhere in the world. What is in the time capsule, and what does the “finder” understand of the culture and time from which it came by analyzing the contents?

5. Using The New York Times or other newspapers and magazines, select what you feel to be the Photograph of the Year– a picture which you feel captures the essence of an extremely important moment in 1998 or which you feel characterizes the year as a whole. Write a brief essay explaining your selection. Display the photographs and essays in the classroom.

6. Imagine that you are creating a time capsule of your life thus far to be buried at the end of the millennium and to be opened by your descendents in the year 3000. What objects would you include, and why? What would you want your descendents to know about your life and about life in the 20th century?

Interdisciplinary Connections: American History, Global History, or Science- Debate or write a persuasive essay about the most significant event or discovery in the past century.

Fine Arts- Learn about important news stories in the world of art in the 20th century (topics may include painting, dance, music, and theatre).

Mathematics- Create a survey in the school or community to find out what people would elect as the “News Story of the Year” and/or as the “Personality of the Year.” Take the poll as a class, and compare the results. Illustrate your findings graphically in several different ways, calculating percentages and fractions of the responses.

Media Studies- Collect different “Best of the Millennium” lists compiled by different news sources, and assess the choices that they make for their categories.

Other Information on the Web: The International Time Capsule Society ( //celebrate2000.jacksonville.com/stories/031699/nex_abouttime.shtml ) teaches you how to make your own time capsule, as well as offers interesting examples of time capsules buried in the past.

Visit the United States Millennium Project’s Monument for Humanity Web site ( //www.ustimecapsule.com ) to learn about the project’s time capsule, which includes samples of the human experience relative to the late 20th century and is to be opened in the year 3000.

ABC’s Century Time Capsule Monument ( //abcnews.go.com/century/timecapsule/index.html ) is a “20th century collective memory” of people, places, inventions and events.

Participate in the Keo project ( //www.keo.org ), a time capsule to be launched in the year 2001 in the form of a satellite that will return to earth in 50,000 years.

Academic Content Standards: Grades 6-8 Historical Understanding Standard 1- Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns. Benchmarks: Understands patterns of change and continuity in the historical succession of related events; Knows how to periodize events of the nation into broadly defined eras Historical Understanding Standard 2- Understands the historical perspective. Benchmarks: Understands that specific individuals and the values those individuals held had an impact on history; Analyzes the effect that specific “chance events” had on history; Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Uses style and structure appropriate for specific audiences and purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes persuasive compositions

Grades 9-12 Historical Understanding Standard 1- Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns. Benchmarks: Understands historical continuity and change related to a particular development or theme; Understands the organizing principles of alternative models of historical periodization Historical Understanding Standard 2- Understands the historical perspective. Benchmarks: Analyzes the values held by specific people who influenced history and the role their values played in influencing history; Analyzes the effects that specific “chance events” had on history and specifies how things might have been different in the absence of those events; Analyzes the effects specific decisions had on history and studies how things might have been different in the absence of those decisions; Understands how the past affects our private lives and society in general Language Arts Standard 1- Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing process. Benchmarks: Writes compositions that are focused for different audiences; Writes compositions that fulfill different purposes; Writes expository compositions; Writes persuasive compositions that evaluate, interpret, and speculate about problems/solutions and causes and effects; Writes reflective compositions

This lesson plan may be used to address the academic standards listed above. These standards are drawn from Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education; 3rd and 4th Editions and have been provided courtesy of the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning in Aurora, Colorado.

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• Essay on Pyramids

Time Capsule Essay Examples

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Pyramids , History , World , Egypt , Middle East , People , Future , The World

Published: 03/08/2023

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Pyramids located in Egypt should be presented in a time capsule for future generations because of their cultural and architectural worth. The future generations should be able to discover the pyramids because it is one of the greatest ancient monuments in the world. The construction took place when Egypt was one of the most powerful countries in the world rules by pharos. Pyramids represent the beautiful historical structure and the great architectural achievement that remains to be a mystery in the modern time. They are very big and they reflect the power of the king who dominated the ancient Egypt. Pyramids were built from the beginning of the old kingdom until the end of the Ptolemaic period which took place in the 4th century AD. These architectural wonders are very special because they were the tallest monuments built 2500 years ago and they are represent the remains of one great ancient civilization. The pyramids represent the technological achievement as well as the development in all areas and the power of ancient Egypt. Their decorative purpose is obvious although their real purpose and the building technique remains a secret. They are the legacy of ancient people for the future generations because of their monumentality. This is a unique work of art and such pyramids exist only in Egypt nowadays. What is remarkable and awe-striking is the fact that pyramids were built of stone without the aid of any other materials. Nobody knows how that could have been achieved in ancient times because it would be difficult to make such a construction today. The technology the ancient Egyptians used is remarkable and it is an enigma for the world of today. People cannot explain how the pyramids were built, but it is obvious that these works of art are sacred and that they represent the luxurious lifestyle. They are here to be admired and that is why they have to be preserved for future generations. Ancient Egyptians did not have technology and any kind of machines which would be necessary to build this kind of structure, but pyramids still exist and defy time. They are indestructible because of their built and they will be preserved because they are wonders of the architectural art. Two million stones were used for the construction and there were many physical workers included in this extensive labor. The final product is magnificent and people from all over the world admire it and visit Egypt each year in order to be able to see these structures in person. This kind of technology was very advanced, but unfortunately people today have no information of the exact way the pyramids were built. They represent the greatest achievement in engineering throughout history and the work which is left behind id extraordinary. The fact that the pyramids stand the test of time is astonishing and attractive to many people, both professionals as well as common people. Modern buildings are a good choice as well, but pyramids will last forever and they represent the mechanical techniques, techniques of measurement and of design used in ancient times. They tell the story of an advanced ancient civilization to the rest of the world. Pyramids are the legacy of the ancient world to the modern world and they are a good historical example which should be preserved for the future as well. Maybe the future generations will be able to reveal the secret of the pyramids because it is a great challenge.

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Essay About Time Capsule

Created on December 31, 1900, scheduled to be opened 100 years later. Ii. Filled with photographs and letters from 56 prominent residents. Transition: [Now, let me enlighten you on the benefits of time capsule. ] 2. The benefits of making a time capsule.

A. The element of surprise. I. Discovered a secret. Ii. Adventure style. B. Record your precious memories. I. Memories won’t be lost over time. Ii. Meaningful. Transition : [ Next, I will show you the steps to make a time capsule. ] 3. Steps to make a time capsule. A. Choose a duration for your time capsule.

Essay Example on Time Capsule

B. Decide where you will store your time capsule. C. Select a suitable type of container. D. Collect the objects that you will put into your time capsule. E. Seal the time capsule and store it. Transition : [ Maybe you will curious, what should I put into my time capsule? So, I will give some examples here. ] 4. Things to put into time capsule. A. Your meaningful collection.

B. Labels or packaging of your favorite food. C. Letters. D. Personal items which can represent you. Transition : [ Besides, location to hide your time capsule is also very important. ] 5.

Location to hide your time capsule. A. Dry and clean environment. B. Out of children’s reach. C. Mysterious place. Transition : [ Eventually , let me summarize the whole thing. ] Conclusion 1 . Summary of main points. In conclusion, time capsule is a very special thing which contains our own precious memories which can let us feel surprised after we find it in the future.

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2. Concluding remarks You never try, you will never know! Give yourself some time to make a time capsule to give yourself a chance to have an adventure on your own memories in future! Thank you!

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Writing Tips Oasis - A website dedicated to helping writers to write and publish books.

10 Words to Describe a Time Capsule

By Ali Dixon

If you’re brainstorming the right words to describe a time capsule in your novel, let us help with the  10 words  in this post. Scroll down to learn more.

1. Mysterious

Constituting a mystery ; causing wonder, surprise, or curiosity.

“The  mysterious  time capsule had been buried in the backyard, and there were no immediate indicators to tell who it had once belonged to.”

“While the hiding of the time capsule was well-documented, what was inside it remained  mysterious .”

How It Adds Description

Saying that the time capsule in your story is mysterious is a great way to help your readers get a little more curious. If neither your readers nor your characters know what’s in the time capsule, then opening the capsule becomes much more exciting.

Concealed ; being out of sight.

“The time capsule was  hidden  somewhere in the huge house—she just didn’t know where.”

“Once he had found the  hidden  time capsule, he thought, he would be celebrated by his friends and family.”

When you hide a time capsule, you want to make sure that no one opens it up to soon. So it makes sense to describe it in your story as something that is hidden. You can have your characters know about its existence beforehand, or perhaps it’s so well-hidden that no one knows about it until one of your characters stumbles across it.

Kept away from view or knowledge ; revealed only to one who is initiated; designed to elude detection.

“No one knew about the  secret  time capsule until the man’s great-granddaughter happened to find it in the dusty old cellar.”

“Once she had told them about the  secret  time capsule that only she knew about, he began searching for it.”

Not all time capsules are kept secret, but many of them are. Using the word secret to describe yours can help add an air of intrigue around it.

4. Forgotten

Not remembered ; intentionally disregarded.

“The old,  forgotten  time capsule had been buried a long time ago, and the hinges on the metal box were now almost too rusted to open.”

“She had filled the time capsule with pictures and letters and left it  forgotten  in the attic until many years later when it was time to open it again.”

Forgotten can mean disregarding something on purpose, which many people do with time capsules. However, you can also describe the time capsule in your story as forgotten if your character left it for longer than they meant to.

Very old or having an existence of many years ; relating to a different time in history; antique.

“The time capsule had been hidden away so long ago he almost wanted to call it  ancient .”

“When she uncovered the  ancient  time capsule and looked at its contents, she felt like she had been transported to another world entirely.”

Something that is ancient is not just old—using this word to describe your time capsule implies that the capsule and the objects within could belong to another time period altogether.

6. Dateless

Having no date or unable to be dated ; so old it cannot be properly attributed to a specific time.

“The  dateless  time capsule held no clue as to when it had been hidden away, and there were no names to help identify who the original owner had been.”

“The time capsule contained  dateless  documents, so it was difficult to tell when the capsule itself had been hidden.”

If you want to make your time capsule seem old and even more mysterious, dateless is a good word to use. It infers that the capsule is so old that it’s impossible to determine its exact age.

7. Exciting

Causing feelings of excitement .

“The moment she emerged from the basement with the  exciting  time capsule, everyone gathered around to see what was inside.”

“The time capsule had been  exciting  to find, but even more thrilling was everything his grandmother had hidden away inside it.”

Finding something hidden away is always exciting! That makes this a great word to use for when your character finds the time capsule that another hid away. It can be even more exciting if your character doesn’t know about its existence until then.

8. Mind-Blowing

Boggling to the mind ; shocking or very surprising.

“The discovery of the time capsule was a  mind-blowing  one, especially once she opened it up and discovered what was inside.”

“The time capsule held some  mind-blowing  realizations, including many that affected her views on her family as a whole.”

Something that is mind-blowing is more than just a little surprising. If the time capsule in your story is mind-blowing, then it could contain information that shocks your character to their core and possibly changes the course of your story.

9. Perplexing

Difficult to understand or causing confusion.

“The time capsule held a lot of  perplexing  documents, and she knew she’d have to spend a lot of time poring over them to try and understand them.”

“Although it was thrilling to find, the existence of the time capsule was a  perplexing  one.”

The time capsule in your story may contain some things that are confusing to your character. Your character may also not have known that the time capsule even existed until they happen upon it. In either case, perplexing is a good word to describe your character’s confusion.

10. Curious

Odd or mysterious ; being unexpected, strange, or novel in some way.

“The time capsule was a  curious  thing, and everyone in the house gathered around the table to open it and see what was inside.”

“Everything they pulled out of the time capsule was very  curious , and they all spent many hours trying to figure out where it had all come from.”

If the time capsule or whatever is inside the time capsule in your story is a little strange, then you can describe it as being curious.

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Build a Time Capsule

What would you like future historians to know about you? Build a time capsule and tell them!

One day in the future, historians will want to learn all about today. What kind of clothes did we wear? What toys did we play with? What did we enjoy doing? What challenges did we face? This activity is your opportunity to give them some clues. Work with an adult to build a time capsule with items that tell your story. Just follow the instructions below, and you’ll be providing the historians of the future with the history of today. Oh, and make sure to read the tips from Emily, one of the Museum’s very own conservators (check out her bio at the bottom of the page)!

We can’t wait to see what you create. Share your time capsule with us on social media using the hashtag #MusCapsule!

Activity Instructions

Step 1: make your time capsule case, step 2: pick your objects, step 3: hide your time capsule, step 4: document its location and make a map, a little bit about emily.

To begin, you will need a case to store your items. The bigger the case, the more you can put inside. But remember, some materials are more likely to be damaged than others — especially if they are being stored for a very long period. So, it is important to choose or make a case that will keep your items safe and dry.

Ask yourself, what materials do you think will keep moisture out? What materials will last a long period of time? What materials are less likely to break? Would sealing your case shut help, and if so, how?

Emily’s tip! Some good household options that you can use as a case are Nalgene water bottles and empty vitamin containers. These items are usually made with polyethylene or polypropylene and have tight fitting screw top lids. Take a look at the bottom of these objects. If there’s a recycling symbol with the number 1, 2 or 5 inside, you’ll know you’ve got the right material.

Now for the fun part! Pick the things you want to put in your time capsule. Remember that you will want to choose objects that will tell future generations a little bit about you, and your life today.

Ask yourself, what items will last a long time? Will some pieces of technology be usable in the future (e.g., USB keys)? What stories do the items tell?

Here are some ideas. You may want to include objects that will tell historians about:

• You (e.g., a toy, a journal)
• Your family history (e.g., a photograph, a family tree)
• Your community (e.g., an old sports jersey, a bus schedule)
• Today (e.g., a newspaper, a piece of technology)

You could also include a letter or drawing for the historian who discovers your time capsule, describing:

• You (e.g., your name, age, hometown, what you look like)
• Your favourite things (e.g., your favourite food, music, activities)
• Why you chose the items in your time capsule

Emily’s tip! Be careful with what you choose. Over time, rubber and PVC plastics can break down and emit gases that can be harmful to other items in the capsule. Also, wood, hair and wool can emit gases that corrode metal objects, so store these materials in a polyethylene Ziploc bag.

It’s time to hide your capsule! Try and find a spot that will make the time capsule a surprise for whoever finds it.

Emily’s tip! Choose a spot that is safe, dry, cool and dark, especially if your case is made of cardboard or another porous material. Avoid basements and attics, and keep your capsule away from radiators and vents.

It’s a good idea to document your time capsule’s location — write it down somewhere, or make a map! Remember, ‘X marks the spot.’

Emily is one of eight members of the Conservation team, which looks after the wellbeing and long-term preservation of the Museum’s collection. Emily and her colleagues monitor the museum environment, watch for pest activities, evaluate the condition of objects, treat artifacts hands-on, and help researchers and visitors view objects. It takes a lot of education and training to become a conservator. Did you know that conservators learn how to operate manlifts? They use them to care for oversize objects like totem poles, murals painted on the ceiling or paintings hung very high on the wall.

How to Write a Time Capsule

In the 20 th century it was pretty popular to make time capsules. They have their origin in the famous messages in a bottle (but not only), used by sailors. The principle is the same - one writes a message to people who are very far (in terms of space and time). Whereas sailors sent messages to other people to help the former, now people use time capsules as a means for communicating with the future generations. Time capsules tell about the traditions, habits of people, about the important events happened during their lifetime. They could be divided into two groups: (1) family time capsules (as a way to keep family traditions and genealogy), and (2) community time capsules (to tell about the founders of the community, or to give useful advice to the future generations).

In the present article there will find some useful tips regarding writing a time capsule, thus especially focused on your verbal message in written form.

How to write a time capsule – 6 tips

1. make your time capsule.

Whatever your time capsule is, you should do the same things: put various items inside (a newspaper, a book, clothes, photos, a letter, and so forth). It is important to be aware of what you want exactly to tell by making a time capsule. It is not possible to tell about one’s lifetime events. Life extends beyond any storytelling, beyond any narrative . People usually tell about their personalities, traditions, language, etc. Thus, you need to direct your efforts to several important things which characterize your family or community.

The message you will put in your letter should be in accordance with the other items inside. The best possible way to do it is to explain each of them (function, context of using, etc.).

2. Use simple language

Languages develop very fast, thus you cannot be certain that people 50 years ago will speak and write in the same way as now. Some words and phrases merely disappear, thereby being replaced by others. Therefore, it is better to use simple words and phrases. Slang phrases will seem incomprehensible for the future generations.

3. First part: who are you?

The introduction of your letter should be focused on your personality, or the people who are making this time capsule together with you. Tell your name, age, occupation, interests, etc. Introduce your family, group, community, etc.

4. Second part: some characteristics

Tell more about your family, community, and so forth. You can put stress on the clothing, traditions, and people involved. You can add important dates, events, and personalities. Connect them with the photos attached. Explain the function of the items put in the capsule one by one. Why people use them? In what way do they use them?

5. Third part: predictions

This is the right place to try to figure out what the future will be. Tell the future generations how you imagine their world will be like.

6. Fourth part: message

This is the essence of your time capsule. Can you tell your message in one sentence only? Usually, it is motivation or encouraging the future generation to keep the tradition. You can also add a slogan (personal, of your family, of your community, etc.). The message is the concluding part of your letter as well.

As it can be seen, there are not so many people who know how to write a time capsule. Thus, we recommend to do it together with other people, because in this way the time capsule will comprise more ideas, items, messages; hence, it will be more useful.

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Essays About Time: Top 5 Examples and 8 Prompts

Essays about time involve looking into human existence and other intangible concepts. Check out our top examples and prompts to write an engaging piece about this subject.

Time entails many concepts that can be hard to explain. In its simplest sense, time is the period between the past, present, and future. It also encompasses every action or progression of events within those measures. Time never stops. It consistently ticks away, making it both a cruel teacher and an apt healer. It inspires many writers to write pieces about it, discussing time as a notion or an element in emotionally-driven compositions that both describe euphoric and heart-rending episodes. 

To aid you in writing a compelling piece, below are our top picks for great essays about time:

1. Time is Precious Essay by Anonymous on AreSearchGuide.com

2. an essay on time by david pincus, 3. time is money by supriya, 4. time waster by anonymous on exampleessays.com, 5. time management: using the less time to do more by anonymous on edubirdie.com, 1. how i spend my time, 2. what is time, 3. time and technology, 4. time management and procrastination, 5. if time doesn’t exist, 6. time as a currency, 7. the value of time, 8. time and productivity.

“Make most of your time and you will be rewarded ten folds of it, waste it and the little you have will be taken away, just like in the parable of talents.”

The essay begins with a convincing statement reminding the readers of the average life expectancy of a person to assert the importance of time. Then, in the later sections, the author answers why time is precious. Some reasons include time is always in motion, is priceless, and can never be borrowed. The piece also mentions why many “wait for the right opportunity,” not realizing they must plan first to get to the “right time.” Finally, at the end of the essay, the writer reminds us that balancing and planning how to spend time in all areas of life are critical to having a meaningful existence.

“I don’t know what time is, beyond a mysterious self-similar backdrop upon which we lead our lives. It is intricately woven across the scales of observation – from the quantum level to the phenomenological time of cultural revolutions.”

Pincus begins the essay with questions about time and then proceeds to answer them. Then, he focuses on time psychologically, relating it to traumas, disorders, and lack of meaning. In the next section, he discusses how psychotherapists use the concept of time to treat patients. 

In the last part of his essay, Pincus admits that he doesn’t know what time is but notes it’s akin to a thread that stitches moments together and anchors us through a complex world.

“Knowing how precious time is, we should never waste time, but make good use of it.”

Supriya’s essay is straightforward. After claiming that someone’s success depends on how they use their time, she gives an example of a student who studied well and passed an exam quickly. She follows it with more examples, referring to office workers and the famous and wealthy.

“Time is something you can’t have back, and should not be used to simply watch a computer screen for hours upon end.”

The writer shares one of his vices that leads him to waste time – technology, specifically, instant messaging. They mention how unproductive it is to just stare at a computer screen to wait for their friends to go online. They know many others have the same problem and hope to overcome the bad habit soon.

“I should strive for good time management skills which are essential to be learned and mastered in order to have a better personal and professional life… it can also help us learn more about self-discipline which is a crucial pillar for stable success… time management is a concept of balance and moderation of the things that are important to us.”

The essay affirms people need to protect time, as it’s a non-renewable resource. A great way to do it is by tracking your time, also known as time management. The writer shared their experience when they were a college student and how challenging it was to allocate their time between deadlines and other life demands. The following parts of the piece explain what time management is in detail, even recommending a tool to help individuals label their activities based on urgency. The following paragraphs focus on what the author learned about time management throughout their life and how they missed opportunities while continuously being stressed. Then, the last part of the essay suggests tips to conquer time management problems. 

Did you know that readability is critical to readers finishing your whole essay? See our article on how to improve your readability score to learn more. 

8 Writing Prompts For Essays About Time

Go through our recommended prompts on essays about time for writing:

In this essay, share how you use your time on a typical day. Then, decide if you want to keep spending your time doing the same things in the future. If not, tell your readers the reason. For instance, if you’re devoting most of your time studying now, you can say that you intend to use your future time doing other invaluable things, such as working hard to help your family.

Because there are many definitions of time, use this essay to define your interpretation of time. You can use creative writing and personify time to make your essay easy to understand. For example, you can think of time as a personal tutor who always reminds you of the things you should be able to finish within the day. For an engaging essay, use descriptive language to emphasize your points.

List technologies that help people save time, such as smartphones, computers, and the internet. Delve into how these devices help individuals complete their tasks faster. On the other hand, you can also talk about how modernization negatively affects people’s time management. Like when they distract students and workers from completing their assignments.

Discuss reasons why people procrastinate. First, ensure to pick common causes so your readers can easily relate to your piece. Then, add tips on how individuals can battle dilly-dallying by recommending influential time management theories and models. You can even try some of these theories or models and tell your readers how they worked for you. 

Open a discussion about what can happen if there is no concept of time. Include what matters you think will be affected if time is abolished. You can also debate that time does not exist, that it’s just created by people to keep track of whatever they need to monitor. Finally, add your thoughts on the notion that “we only exist within an ever-changing now.”

Share your ideas of what can take place if we use “time” to buy food, pay rent, etc. You can also analyze that when we use our time to work, get paid for it, and then purchase our necessities, we’re technically exchanging our time to be able to buy what we need. A movie that used this theory is In Time , starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Cillian Murphy. You can write a review of this movie and add your opinions on it.

Everyone’s aware of the importance of time. For this prompt, delve into why time is precious. Write this essay from your perspective and probe how time, such as managing or wasting it, affects your life. You can also interpret this prompt by calculating the non-monetary or opportunity costs of spending time. 

Examine the direct relationship between time and productivity. Then, list productivity strategies schools and businesses use. You can also open a discourse about the number of hours workers are supposed to work in a week. For example, debate if you think a 40-hour full-time work week in America, results in more productive employees. Then, add other schedules from other countries and how it affects productivity, such as Denmark, Germany, and Norway, with less than 30 hours of the work week. 

Do you want to know how to convince your readers effectively? Read our guide on how to write an argumentative essay . Improve your writing skills; check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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A Writing Assignment Time Capsule

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• Create a time capsule
• For Children and Parents

What should you put in a time capsule?

Time Capsule Ideas for Kids or Students

• Certificates or ribbons.
• A letter from your parents.
• The packaging from your favourite snack.
• A toy or stuffed animal.
• Art projects.
• A keepsake from your last birthday party.
• An all-about-me page.
• A letter to your future self.
• Time capsule

Time capsule document for 22/02/22

• My 11 Year Time Capsule UK - Big Life Journal.pdf

DIY Time Capsule Ideas:

• Their favourite fashion trends from a magazine.
• A newspaper published on their birthday.
• Certificates/ribbons from sports games.
• School papers/art projects.
• Photos from the past year/years.
• Party items such as confetti.
• A book with a special note.

Time Capsule Ideas for Your Future Self

1. letter to your future self.

While we can’t be in two places at once, many people often imagine what it would be like to speak to a version of ourselves from a different time.

A letter to your future self can provide you with an opportunity for self-reflection and remind you of a different time. You can include things like advice for your future self, share your current beliefs, friends, and life goals.

2. Question cards

In our busy lives, we often forget to look inwards and check in with ourselves. Including some question cards in your time capsule is a great way to prompt your future self to take time to reassess your goals. 

Examples of questions to include might be:

• Am I happy?
• What life lessons have I learned since I buried this time capsule?
• Do I take enough care of myself?

3. Polaroid of yourself on the day you buried the box

Our mobile phone cameras mean it’s never been easier to capture special moments with the click of a button. There’s something special, however, about a polaroid photo or a print photo that captures the moment exactly as it is.

Including a photo of you on the day you buried your box will be a great memory for your future self when you open your time capsule.

4. Goals and aspirations

Write down your current aspirations to include in the time capsule. Our hopes for our future tend to change as we grow older, so it will be interesting to see how, or if, your life goals have changed at all.

Related:  Goal Planner Printable

5. List of favorites

Just as our aspirations change, so too do our favorite things in life. Write a list of all of your favorite things — you can include everything from your favorite food to your favorite music and your favorite item of clothing!

Fashion, music, and tastes change, so it will no doubt be amusing to read about what your past self was interested in when you were younger.

6. Create a mood board of what you think your life will look like

It can be hard to imagine what our life will look like in 10, 15, or 20 years. Visualizing your future can help, particularly if, when you open your time capsule, your life is totally different from what you imagined!

Create a mood board of images, photographs, and even quotes to illustrate what you think your life will be like when you open your time capsule.

Time Capsule Ideas for Couples

Get a beautiful  keepsake case  for your engagement, anniversary, Valentine’s day, or another meaningful occasion, and fill it with all the sentimental treasures you collected as a couple.

7. Picture of the two of you on the day

When we spend a lot of time with someone, we don’t often notice little changes in their appearance as time passes.

Snapping a photo of the two of you on the day you bury the capsule to compare with a photo taken on the day you open it will remind you of what you both used to look like and how things have changed since.

8. Love letters to each other’s future selves

How do you imagine your love for your partner might grow over the years between burying your time capsule and unearthing it again?

Writing a love letter to your partner’s future self will be a lovely thing to read, and to remind each other how much you love one another.

9. Dried flowers

Include flowers that your partner has given you, or you have given your partner (and if they haven’t, then a time capsule is a great excuse to buy flowers!).

A flower is a wonderful symbol of love, and you should be able to keep the dried flower, even after you’ve opened the capsule.

10. Bucket list

Where do you want to travel with your partner? What milestones would you like to reach together?

Include a bucket list of all the things you want to do in life with your partner in your time capsule. When you open it, you’ll be able to see how many you ticked off.

Related:  Bucket Lists to Inspire You

11. First card, note, or memorabilia from your first date

Did you keep the ticket stub from your first date to the cinema? Maybe you wrote a journal entry after you first met your partner?

A reminder of the first time you met or your first date will be a lovely memory for your future selves and will remind you of what your relationship was like right at the beginning.

12. Accessory or wedding attire

If you’re married, you’ll likely have kept something from the big day, whether that’s a tie, a garter, or a hair accessory.

Including wedding attire in your time capsule will provide a great opportunity to reflect on your relationship, and to see how fashion has changed!

Time Capsule Ideas for Friends

13. list of things you want to do within the timeframe.

Write down a list of things you’d like to do together from the time that you bury the capsule to when you plan to open it again.

This can be anything from a holiday together to  learning a new skill  or visiting your favorite restaurant. You can make a copy of the list, so you can remember everything you wanted to do.

14. Champagne or bottle of wine

Treat your future selves by including a bottle of your favorite wine or champagne to enjoy when you come together again to open up the time capsule. You can take time to enjoy this treat together and make a toast to your past selves.

Some wines can last up to twenty years unopened, or even longer. Be sure to read the label before you pack it, and try to buy a quality wine or champagne that won’t elapse its consume-by date.

15. Photograph

Hair, fashion, and appearances may change, but hopefully, your friendships will only get stronger over the years.

With that said, it will be great to see how much you’ve changed and will transport you back to how your life and friendships were when the photo was taken.

16. Old phone with photographs in it to look back on

Our social media profiles are often curated with flattering photos and angles. If you have an old phone from when you were younger, you might find some hilarious photos of you and your friends that wouldn’t quite make it onto your Instagram feed now.

Consider including these old phones (with a charger) to look back on the photos when years have passed. You’re guaranteed a good laugh, that’s for sure!

17. Piece together your ideal outfit with a scrapbook/Pinterest board

What is your idea of a fashionable outfit? Use a scrapbook to make a visual representation of your ideal outfit to include in the capsule.

Fashions change year on year, so it will be interesting (and maybe quite funny) to see how your tastes have changed over the years.

18. Letter to your friend

These days, we don’t often write letters on pen and paper, particularly to our close friends who might be a text or a phone call away.

Use your time capsule as an opportunity to tell your friend/friends how much they mean to you. You can write down some advice for their future selves, or tell them how much they mean to you.

Time Capsule Ideas for Families with Kids

19. family questionnaire.

This is a great way to get the whole family involved in the time capsule. You can decide together things like ‘who’s the funniest?’ or ‘who likes being outside more?’ and see what’s changed when you open the capsule up again.

You can also have a separate section for each member of the family, where everyone can answer questions about themselves to create a family profile.

Answering the questions again when you open up the capsule will be a great way to remember things as they used to be.

20. Birthday cards

If you have birthday cards saved from this year, it’s a good idea to put these into your capsule. That way, you can re-read them years later and try to get all the family to remember how they felt at that age.

21. School photos

School photos can sometimes be forgotten in drawers or in boxes in the attic. If you have any school photos lying around the house, pop them in your capsule!

Even better, if you have school photos from the same year that you’re making your time capsule, your kids will be able to make a direct comparison about how much they’ve changed in the time since the photos were taken.

22. Future job aspirations

Do you remember wanting to be an astronaut when you were older, only to then change your mind 3 months later and decide you wanted to be a ballet dancer instead?

Getting your family to write down what they want to be when they’re older is guaranteed to bring smiles to faces when your time capsule is opened.

23. Family pet memorabilia

Our pets are a huge part of our family, but it’s a fact of life that sadly our pets often won’t live as long as we do.

Put some photos of your pets, like a spare collar, photos and even get the kids to write down their favorite thing about their pet. When the time comes to re-visit this memorabilia, there will be lots of fond and happy memories.

24. Have the kids write out what their perfect day looks like

Your kids’ idea of the ingredients for a good day is likely to change dramatically over the space of even just a year. Therefore, it’s not hard to imagine how different their perfect day might look like 10, 15, or 20 years later.

Have them write down how their ideal day would go, from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to sleep (including what time they go to bed). It will be a great thing to look back on, and to undoubtedly laugh at just how much has changed!

Time Capsule Ideas for a Baby’s First Year 

Keep the following items in a  custom keepsake box  for your baby to open on their 18th birthday.

25. Handprint or footprint painting

A handprint or footprint of your baby is the perfect thing to include in your time capsule. 

Babies grow up so fast, so when you open your time capsule, seeing how tiny their hands or feet once were will bring the memories flooding back.

26. Newspaper or magazine on the date/month your baby was born

Save a newspaper from the day your baby was born or even the date that you’re making your time capsule.

It will be very interesting for both you and your child to look at in the future, and see how much the world has changed since they were born.

27. Playlist of number 1 songs that day/month/year

In the same vein as the newspaper idea, music changes so much over the years. So save a playlist of the top songs in the charts when your baby was born.

No doubt the music industry will have moved on a lot by the time you listen to those songs again!

28. Baby photo

This might be an obvious suggestion, but make sure to include a baby photo in your time capsule. You can take a photo the day that you make your capsule or even the first-ever photo taken of your baby.

You can also make this a family photo too, so your child can see how much everyone has changed since the photo was taken.

29. Message from family and friends

Whether you want to make an old camcorder-style film filled with messages from friends and family, or you want to have everyone write down messages or letters, it will be a truly special experience for your child to see these messages in the future.

30. First clothes

If you can spare them, including your baby’s first clothes in the capsule is another great way to show how much they have grown and changed since the capsule was made.

Whether you include a sleepsuit, a hat, or even a pair of shoes, your child is bound to be amazed at how small they once were!

31. First rattle or dummy

32. photograph or card from their first birthday, more time capsule ideas.

Still excited for more ideas to add to your family time capsule? Give future relatives and future generations plenty to ponder, laugh at, and be in awe of with some of these creative and fun ideas.

From photos of family members becoming parents to a few snapshots of history, these precious memories can inspire and bring joy to you, your kids, or any family member in a few years’ time, or even beyond.

It’s a good idea to get yourself a durable time capsule container, as this item is going to be buried.

However, you can also use a plastic container, an old shoebox, or a cardboard box, among other items, to keep memories and items separated within the time capsule, if it’s large enough.

33. Floor plan of the house or apartment you are currently living in

34. science project you did with your kids, 35. ipod shuffle of your favorite songs, 36. favorite outfit of the year, 37. newspaper clippings or printed screenshots of an important news story, 38. popular toy you or your kids loved to play with, 39. memorabilia from famous sporting events you watched or attended, 40. wooden box of printed photographs, 41. family heirloom passed down through the generations, 42. the first housewarming gift you received when moving to a new house, 43. small memento from a special day such as a wedding or milestone birthday party, 44. write a thousand words to your future selves about what’s important in life, 45. printed screenshot of current events from a news website, 46. family pictures of the whole family at a garden party or gathering, 47. drawing of your family tree with photos of all your family members, 48. fun project you did with your kids, 49. photos of you and your best friend at different points in time, 50. two photos of you with mom and dad as a kid, and now, 51. photos or printed screenshots of outfits representing the current fashion trends.

Unfortunately not the ones with chocolate chips.

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51 Time Capsule Ideas (Best Things to Put in a Time Capsule)

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Give your future selves plenty of laughs and joy, and create magical memories with these time capsule ideas .

I’ve listed over 50 ideas for things to put in a time capsule so that you pack your capsule with items that have plenty of meaning and value.

Time Capsule Ideas (Things to Put in a Time Capsule)

For Your Future Self

1. letter to your future self.

While we can’t be in two places at once, many people often imagine what it would be like to speak to a version of ourselves from a different time.

A letter to your future self can provide you with an opportunity for self-reflection and remind you of a different time. You can include things like advice for your future self and share your current beliefs, friends, and life goals.

2. Question cards

In our busy lives, we often forget to look inward and check in with ourselves. Including some question cards in your time capsule is a great way to prompt your future self to take time to reassess your goals. 

Examples of questions to include might be:

• Am I happy?
• What life lessons have I learned since I buried this time capsule?
• Do I take enough care of myself ?

3. Polaroid of yourself on the day you buried the box

Our phone cameras mean it’s never been easier to capture special moments with the click of a button. There’s something special, however, about a Polaroid photo or a print photo that captures the moment exactly as it is.

Including a photo of you on the day you buried your box will be a great memory for your future self when you open your time capsule.

If you’re looking for an instant camera and film bundle, check out this Polaroid instant color camera .

4. Goals and aspirations

Write down your current aspirations to include in the time capsule. Our hopes for our future tend to change as we grow older, so it will be interesting to see how, or if, your life goals have changed at all.

Related: Goal Planner Printable

5. List of favorites

Just as our aspirations change, so do our favorite things in life. Write a list of all of your favorite things — you can include everything from your favorite food to your favorite music and your favorite item of clothing!

Fashion, music, and tastes change, so it will no doubt be amusing to read about what your past self was interested in when you were younger.

6. Create a mood board of what you think your life will look like

It can be hard to imagine what our life will look like in 10, 15, or 20 years. Visualizing your future can help, particularly if, when you open your time capsule, your life is totally different from what you imagined!

Create a mood board of images, photographs, and even quotes to illustrate what you think your life will be like when you open your time capsule.

For Couples

Get a beautiful keepsake case for your engagement, anniversary , Valentine’s Day, or another meaningful occasion, and fill it with all the sentimental treasures you collected as a couple .

7. Picture of the two of you on the day

When we spend a lot of time with someone, we don’t often notice little changes in their appearance as time passes.

Snapping a photo of the two of you on the day you bury the capsule to compare with a photo taken on the day you open it will remind you of what you both used to look like and how things have changed since.

8. Love letters to each other’s future selves

How do you imagine your love for your partner might grow over the years between burying your time capsule and unearthing it again?

Writing a love letter to your partner’s future self will be a lovely thing to read and to remind each other how much you love one another.

9. Dried flowers

Include flowers that your partner has given you or you have given your partner (and if they haven’t, then a time capsule is a great excuse to buy flowers!).

A flower is a wonderful symbol of love, and you should be able to keep the dried flower even after you’ve opened the capsule.

10. Bucket list

Where do you want to travel with your partner? What milestones would you like to reach together?

Include a bucket list of all the things you want to do in life with your partner in your time capsule. When you open it, you’ll be able to see how many you ticked off.

Related: Bucket Lists to Inspire You

11. First card, note, or memorabilia from your first date

Did you keep the ticket stub from your first date at the cinema? Maybe you wrote a journal entry after you first met your partner?

A reminder of the first time you met or your first date will be a lovely memory for your future selves and will remind you of what your relationship was like right at the beginning.

12. Accessory or wedding attire

If you’re married, you’ll likely have kept something from the big day, whether that’s a tie, a garter, or a hair accessory.

Including wedding attire in your time capsule will provide a great opportunity to reflect on your relationship and see how fashion has changed!

For Friends

13. list of things you want to do within the timeframe.

Write down a list of things you’d like to do together from the time that you bury the capsule to when you plan to open it again.

This can be anything from a holiday together to learning a new skill or visiting your favorite restaurant. You can make a copy of the list so you can remember everything you wanted to do.

Related: 100+ Best Things to Do with Friends

14. Champagne or a bottle of wine

Treat your future selves by including a bottle of your favorite wine or champagne to enjoy when you come together again to open up the time capsule. You can take time to enjoy this treat together and make a toast to your past selves.

Some wines can last up to twenty years unopened or even longer. Be sure to read the label before you pack it, and try to buy a quality wine or champagne that won’t elapse its consume-by date.

15. Photograph

Hair, fashion, and appearances may change, but hopefully, your friendships will only get stronger over the years.

With that said, it will be great to see how much you’ve changed, and it will transport you back to how your life and friendships were when the photo was taken.

16. Old phone with photographs in it to look back on

Our social media profiles are often curated with flattering photos and angles. If you have an old phone from when you were younger, you might find some hilarious photos of you and your friends that wouldn’t quite make it onto your Instagram feed now.

Consider including these old phones (with a charger) to look back on the photos when years have passed. You’re guaranteed a good laugh, that’s for sure!

17. Piece together your ideal outfit with a scrapbook/Pinterest board

What is your idea of a fashionable outfit? Use a scrapbook to make a visual representation of your ideal outfit to include in the capsule.

Fashions change year on year, so it will be interesting (and maybe quite funny) to see how your tastes have changed over the years.

18. Letter to your friend

These days, we don’t often write letters on pen and paper, particularly to our close friends who might be a text or a phone call away.

Use your time capsule as an opportunity to tell your friends how much they mean to you. You can write down some advice for their future selves or tell them how much they mean to you.

For Families with Kids

19. family questionnaire.

This is a great way to get the whole family involved in the time capsule. You can decide together things like ‘who’s the funniest?’ or ‘who likes being outside more?’ and see what’s changed when you open the capsule up again.

You can also have a separate section for each member of the family, where everyone can answer questions about themselves to create a family profile.

Answering the questions again when you open up the capsule will be a great way to remember things as they used to be.

20. Birthday cards

If you have birthday cards saved from this year, it’s a good idea to put these into your capsule. That way, you can re-read them years later and try to get all the family to remember how they felt at that age.

21. School photos

School photos can sometimes be forgotten in drawers or in boxes in the attic. If you have any school photos lying around the house, pop them in your capsule!

Even better, if you have school photos from the same year that you’re making your time capsule, your kids will be able to make a direct comparison about how much they’ve changed in the time since the photos were taken.

22. Future job aspirations

Do you remember wanting to be an astronaut when you were older, only to then change your mind three months later and decide you wanted to be a ballet dancer instead?

Getting your family to write down what they want to be when they’re older is guaranteed to bring smiles to faces when your time capsule is opened.

23. Family pet memorabilia

Our pets are a huge part of our family, but it’s a fact of life that, sadly, our pets often won’t live as long as we do.

Put some photos of your pets, like a spare collar, photos and even get the kids to write down their favorite thing about their pet. When the time comes to re-visit this memorabilia, there will be lots of fond and happy memories.

24. Have the kids write out what their perfect day looks like

Your kids’ idea of the ingredients for a good day is likely to change dramatically over the space of even just a year. Therefore, it’s not hard to imagine how different their perfect day might look 10, 15, or 20 years later.

Have them write down how their ideal day would go, from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to sleep (including what time they go to bed). It will be a great thing to look back on and undoubtedly laugh at just how much has changed!

For a Baby’s First Year 

Keep the following items in a custom keepsake box for your baby to open on their 18th birthday.

25. Handprint or footprint painting

A handprint or footprint of your baby is the perfect thing to include in your time capsule. 

Babies grow up so fast, so when you open your time capsule, seeing how tiny their hands or feet once were will bring the memories flooding back.

26. Newspaper or magazine on the date/month your baby was born

Save a newspaper from the day your baby was born or even the date that you’re making your time capsule.

It will be very interesting for both you and your child to look at in the future and see how much the world has changed since they were born.

27. Playlist of number 1 songs that day/month/year

In the same vein as the newspaper idea, music changes so much over the years. So save a playlist of the top songs in the charts when your baby was born.

No doubt the music industry will have moved on a lot by the time you listen to those songs again!

28. Baby photo

This might be an obvious suggestion, but make sure to include a baby photo in your time capsule. You can take a photo the day that you make your capsule or even the first-ever photo taken of your baby.

You can also make this a family photo so your child can see how much everyone has changed since the photo was taken.

29. Message from family and friends

Whether you want to make an old camcorder-style film filled with messages from friends and family, or you want to have everyone write down messages or letters, it will be a truly special experience for your child to see these messages in the future.

30. First clothes

If you can spare them, including your baby’s first clothes in the capsule is another great way to show how much they have grown and changed since the capsule was made.

Whether you include a sleepsuit, a hat, or even a pair of shoes, your child is bound to be amazed at how small they once were!

31. First rattle or dummy

32. photograph or card from their first birthday.

Still excited for more ideas to add to your family time capsule? Give future relatives and future generations plenty to ponder, laugh at, and be in awe of with some of these creative and fun ideas.

From photos of family members becoming parents to a few snapshots of history, these precious memories can inspire and bring joy to you, your kids, or any family member in a few years’ time or even beyond.

It’s a good idea to get yourself a durable time capsule container, as this item is going to be buried.

However, you can also use a plastic container, an old shoebox, or a cardboard box, among other items, to keep memories and items separated within the time capsule if it’s large enough.

33. Floor plan of the house or apartment you are currently living in

34. science project you did with your kids, 35. ipod shuffle of your favorite songs, 36. favorite outfit of the year, 37. newspaper clippings or printed screenshots of an important news story, 38. popular toy you or your kids loved to play with, 39. memorabilia from famous sporting events you watched or attended, 40. wooden box of printed photographs, 41. family heirlooms passed down through the generations, 42. the first housewarming gift you received when moving to a new house, 43. small memento from a special day such as a wedding or milestone birthday party, 44. write a thousand words to your future selves about what’s important in life, 45. printed screenshot of current events from a news website, 46. family pictures of the whole family at a garden party or gathering, 47. drawing of your family tree with photos of all your family members, 48. fun project you did with your kids, 49. photos of you and your best friend at different points in time, 50. two photos of you with mom and dad as a kid, and now, 51. photos or printed screenshots of outfits representing the current fashion trends.

Filling and burying a time capsule can be such an amazing way to preserve memories and moments. Plus, it’s great for bonding with friends and family.

Don’t spend time pondering over what to put in your capsule. Use our fun and creative time capsule ideas to pack items and things with real meaning and value.

When you open up the capsule in the future, you’ll thank your past self for putting in such nostalgic and meaningful items, close to your heart.

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Planning to pack and bury a time capsule with friends or family? Keep this article for safekeeping to inspire you, by saving it to one of your Pinterest boards.

It’s Time to Treat Sugar Like Cigarettes

T he food we eat impacts every aspect of our lives and our bodies: our hormones, brain chemistry, immune system, microbiome; the list goes on. As consumers, we deserve the right to easily understand our foods’ nutritional value in order to make informed decisions about what we consume and how that will impact our health and well being. This is especially important when it comes to ingredients that are detrimental when eaten in excess, such as sugar. As researchers in functional medicine, longevity, AI, and nutrition, as well as inventors of health-enhancing and life-saving solutions, we have dedicated our professional lives to improving the health and well-being of millions everywhere. And while we applaud the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taking important strides to pass mandatory front-of-package labeling for packaged foods in the U.S., this is a change that cannot come soon enough. Everyone’s health depends on it. 

The FDA recommends adults consume no more than 50 grams of added sugar per day (based on a 2,000 calorie diet), but the average American consumes closer to one-third of a pound of sugar daily, more than three times the recommended amount. To put that into perspective, the average American consumes over 100 pounds of sugar per person per year. With that much sugar consumption, it is no wonder that 49% of American adults are diabetic or pre-diabetic. What’s worse is that much of the sugar we consume occurs without our even realizing it. There are over 60 different ways sugar is identified on nutrition labels, making a consumer’s attempt to regulate their sugar intake unfairly complicated.

Extensive academic research published in medical peer-reviewed journals backs common knowledge that excess sugar consumption can lead to serious chronic conditions , as well as fatigue , anxiety , memory loss , ADHD , and even to a shorter life .

Seventy four percent of packaged foods in the U.S. contain added sugar, including seemingly healthy foods, such as salad dressing, coleslaw, and even baked beans, marinades, and yogurt; some sweetened yogurts contain more sugar than a can of soda. The fact that sugar is so biologically addictive — studies indicate it is eight times more addictive than cocaine — makes the reality that it’s hidden in so many foods even more harmful. Most of us are addicted to sugar and we don’t even know it.

This cycle of addiction is relentless and hard to break: we eat food with sugar, which then triggers a blood sugar spike, which lights up the pleasure center in our brain. When the inevitable sugar crash comes, we seek that spike again in the form of craving more sugar. Without easily discernible food labeling, shoppers unknowingly create this cycle inside their own bodies, even while they erroneously think the food they’re buying is healthy.

Read More: How the World Got Hooked on Sugar

In many countries, labels on packaged foods serve a similar function to labels on cigarette cartons: to warn consumers of risk. In Chile , a policy of “high in” labels on the front of sugary drinks dramatically reduced the consumption of those beverages. In Israel, a front-of-package labelling system , wherein a red label indicates an item high in sugar, has led to significant positive changes in 76% of the population’s food buying habits. We’re excited to see what a similar program in the U.S. would yield.

Those in the U.S. lobbying against this front-of-package change, unsurprisingly, have an interest in the continued popularity of their products. In a February 2023 joint filing , the nation’s largest cereal producers threatened a lawsuit after proposed changes would not allow them to label products as “healthy” if they didn’t meet nutritional standards. The front-of-package suggested change would rightfully prevent many cereals on the market with excess sugar from calling themselves “healthy.”

This dynamic is similar to changes made in cigarette advertising in the 20th century. In the 1940s, a famous Camel cigarettes campaign featured the slogan , “More doctors smoke Camels.” By 1969, a mandatory warning label was added to cigarettes, giving consumers clearer access to information about risks, allowing them to make more informed choices about their health. Today the percentage of Americans who smoke is 11% compared to nearly 50% back in the day when “more doctors smoked Camels”. Life expectancy rose nearly 11 years in that span of time too, and the decrease in smoking certainly contributed.

While front-of-package labeling on packaged foods is a crucial first step towards a healthier society, education and awareness alone will only get us so far. To drive even more significant change in the way most Americans eat, a change that will lead to a healthier population, we must also incentivize the production and widespread distribution of healthier alternatives. These alternatives—a packaged cookie with healthier ingredients, for instance—must be just as delicious, and readily available as those loaded with sugar. The recently announced new standards by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that will limit added sugars in school meals can greatly help with the availability of healthier alternatives, especially when children form their eating habits. For the rest of us, though, front-of-package labeling is an important step one in this journey towards national wellness and it will also encourage producers to create healthier options for consumers; readily available healthier alternatives is step two.

FDA leadership ensuring labeling of high contents of sugar in packaged foods could increase awareness and reduce the negative impacts of sugar and help millions live healthier longer lives. This change would help us make more informed choices about our food and our health. We believe it is our right, and every American’s right, to have clear and visible information about the sugar content of the foods we are eating in order to make more informed decisions.

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The Last Thing This Supreme Court Could Do to Shock Us

There will be no more self-soothing after this..

For three long years, Supreme Court watchers mollified themselves (and others) with vague promises that when the rubber hit the road, even the ultraconservative Federalist Society justices of the Roberts court would put democracy before party whenever they were finally confronted with the legal effort to hold Donald Trump accountable for Jan. 6. There were promising signs: They had, after all, refused to wade into the Trumpian efforts to set aside the election results in 2020. They had, after all, hewed to a kind of sanity in batting away Trumpist claims about presidential records (with the lone exception of Clarence Thomas, too long marinated in the Ginni-scented Kool-Aid to be capable of surprising us, but he was just one vote). We promised ourselves that there would be cool heads and grand bargains and that even though the court might sometimes help Trump in small ways, it would privilege the country in the end. We kept thinking that at least for Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch and Chief Justice John Roberts , the voice of reasoned never-Trumpers might still penetrate the Fox News fog. We told ourselves that at least six justices, and maybe even seven, of the most MAGA-friendly court in history would still want to ensure that this November’s elections would not be the last in history. Political hacks they may be, but they were not lawless ones.

On Thursday, during oral arguments in Trump v. United States , the Republican-appointed justices shattered those illusions. This was the case we had been waiting for, and all was made clear—brutally so. These justices donned the attitude of cynical partisans, repeatedly lending legitimacy to the former president’s outrageous claims of immunity from criminal prosecution. To at least five of the conservatives, the real threat to democracy wasn’t Trump’s attempt to overturn the election—but the Justice Department’s efforts to prosecute him for the act. These justices fear that it is Trump’s prosecution for election subversion that will “destabilize” democracy, requiring them to read a brand-new principle of presidential immunity into a Constitution that guarantees nothing of the sort. They evinced virtually no concern for our ability to continue holding free and fair elections that culminate in a peaceful transfer of power. They instead offered endless solicitude for the former president who fought that transfer of power.

However the court disposes of Trump v. U.S. , the result will almost certainly be precisely what the former president craves: more delays, more hearings, more appeals—more of everything but justice . This was not a legitimate claim from the start, but a wild attempt by Trump’s attorneys to use his former role as chief executive of the United States to shield himself from the consequences of trying to turn the presidency into a dictatorship. After so much speculation that these reasonable, rational jurists would surely dispose of this ridiculous case quickly and easily, Thursday delivered a morass of bad-faith hand-wringing on the right about the apparently unbearable possibility that a president might no longer be allowed to wield his powers of office in pursuit of illegal ends. Just as bad, we heard a constant minimization of Jan. 6, for the second week in a row , as if the insurrection were ancient history, and history that has since been dramatically overblown, presumably for Democrats’ partisan aims.

We got an early taste of this minimization in Trump v. Anderson , the Colorado case about removing Trump from the ballot. The court didn’t have the stomach to discuss the violence at the Capitol in its sharply divided decision, which found for Trump ; indeed, the majority barely mentioned the events of Jan. 6 at all when rejecting Colorado’s effort to bar from the ballot an insurrectionist who tried to steal our democracy. But we let that one be, because we figured special counsel Jack Smith would ride to the rescue. Smith has indicted Trump on election subversion charges related to Jan. 6, and the biggest obstacle standing between the special counsel and a trial has been the former president’s outlandish claim that he has absolute immunity from criminal charges as a result of his having been president at the time. Specifically, Trump alleges that his crusade to overturn the election constituted “official acts” that are immune from criminal liability under a heretofore unknown constitutional principle that the chief executive is quite literally above the law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit held in February that the president does not have blanket or absolute immunity for all actions taken in office, including “official” acts performed under the guise of executing the law (for example, Trump’s attempt to weaponize the DOJ against election results under the pretense of investigating fraud). The D.C. Circuit’s emphatic, cross-ideological decision should have been summarily affirmed by SCOTUS within days. Instead, the justices set it for arguments two months down the road—a bad omen, to put it mildly . Even then, many court watchers held out hope that Thursday morning’s oral arguments were to be the moment for the nine justices of the Supreme Court to finally indicate their readiness to take on Trump, Trumpism, illiberalism, and slouching fascism.

It was not to be. Justice Samuel Alito best captured the spirit of arguments when he asked gravely “what is required for the functioning of a stable democratic society” (good start!), then answered his own question: total immunity for criminal presidents (oh, dear). Indeed, anything but immunity would, he suggested, encourage presidents to commit more crimes to stay in office: “Now, if an incumbent who loses a very close, hotly contested election knows that a real possibility after leaving office is not that the president is going to be able to go off into a peaceful retirement but that the president may be criminally prosecuted by a bitter political opponent, will that not lead us into a cycle that destabilizes the functioning of our country as a democracy?” Never mind that the president in question did not leave office peacefully and is not sitting quietly in retirement but is instead running for presidential office once again. No, if we want criminal presidents to leave office when they lose, we have to let them commit crimes scot-free. If ever a better articulation of the legal principle “Don’t make me hit you again” has been proffered at an oral argument, it’s hard to imagine it.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke to this absurdity when she responded in what could only be heard as a cri de coeur: “Stable democratic society needs good faith of public officials,” she said. “That good faith assumes that they will follow the law.” The justice noted that despite all the protections in place, a democracy can sometimes “potentially fail.” She concluded: “In the end, if it fails completely, it’s because we destroyed our democracy on our own, isn’t it?”

But it was probably too late to make this plea, because by that point we had heard both Alito and Gorsuch opine that presidents must be protected at all costs from the whims of overzealous deep state prosecutors brandishing “vague” criminal statutes. We heard Kavanaugh opine mindlessly on the independent counsel statute and how mean it is to presidents, reading extensively from Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in a case arguing that independent counsels are unconstitutional. (Yes, Kavanaugh worked for Ken Starr , the independent counsel.) If you’re clocking a trend here, it’s gender. Just as was the case in Anderson , it’s the women justices doing the second-shift work here: both probing the thorny constitutional and criminal questions and signaling a refusal to tank democracy over abstractions and deflections. As was the case in the EMTALA arguments, it’s the women who understand what it looks like to cheat death.

Is the president, Sotomayor asked, immune from prosecution if he orders the military to assassinate a political rival? Yes, said John Sauer, who represented Trump—though it “depends on the circumstances.” Could the president, Justice Elena Kagan asked, order the military to stage a coup? Yes, Sauer said again, depending on the circumstances. To which Kagan tartly replied that Sauer’s insistence on specifying the “circumstances” boiled down to “Under my test, it’s an official act, but that sure sounds bad, doesn’t it?” (Cue polite laughter in the chamber.)

This shameless, maximalist approach should have drawn anger from the conservative justices—indignation, at least, that Sauer took them for such easy marks. But it turns out that he calibrated his terrible arguments just right. The cynicism on display was truly breathtaking: Alito winkingly implied to Michael Dreeben, representing Smith, that we all know that Justice Department lawyers are political hacks, right? Roberts mocked Dreeben for saying “There’s no reason to worry because the prosecutor will act in good faith.”

The conservative justices are so in love with their own voices and so convinced of their own rectitude that they monologued about how improper it was for Dreeben to keep talking about the facts of this case, as opposed to the “abstract” principles at play. “I’m talking about the future!” Kavanaugh declared at one point to Dreeben, pitching himself not as Trump’s human shield but as a principled defender of the treasured constitutional right of all presidents to do crime. (We’re sure whatever rule he cooks up will apply equally to Democratic presidents, right?) Kavanaugh eventually landed on the proposition that prosecutors may charge presidents only under criminal statutes that explicitly state they can be applied to the president. Which, as Sotomayor pointed out, would mean no charges everywhere, because just a tiny handful of statutes are stamped with the label “CAN BE APPLIED TO PRESIDENT.”

The words bold and fearless action were repeated on a loop today, as a kind of mantra of how effective presidents must be free to act quickly and decisively to save democracy from the many unanticipated threats it faces. And yet the court—which has been asked to take bold and fearless action to deter the person who called Georgia’s secretary of state to demand that he alter the vote count, and threatened to fire DOJ officials who would not help steal an election—is backing away from its own duty. The prospect of a criminal trial for a criminal president shocked and appalled five men: Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, and Gorsuch suggested that Smith’s entire prosecution is unconstitutional; meanwhile, Roberts sounded eager at times to handle the case just a hair more gracefully: by cutting out its heart by preventing the jury from hearing about “official acts” (which lie at the center of the alleged conspiracy). Justice Amy Coney Barrett was far more measured, teasing out a compromise with Dreeben that would compel the trial court to tell the jury it could not impose criminal liability for these “official” acts, only “private ones.” Remember, drawing that line would require months of hearings and appeals, pushing any trial into 2025 or beyond. The president who tried to steal the most recent election is running in the next one, which is happening in mere months.

The liberal justices tried their best to make the case that justice required denying Trump’s sweeping immunity claim, permitting the trial to move forward, and sorting out lingering constitutional issues afterward, as virtually all other criminal defendants must do. They got little traction. Everyone on that bench was well aware that the entire nation was listening to arguments; that the whole nation wants to understand whether Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 election was an existential threat to democracy or a lark. Five justices sent the message, loud and clear, that they are far more worried about Trump’s prosecution at the hands of the deep-state DOJ than about his alleged crimes, which were barely mentioned. This trial will almost certainly face yet more delays. These delays might mean that its subject could win back the presidency in the meantime and render the trial moot. But the court has now signaled that nothing he did was all that serious and that the danger he may pose is not worth reining in. The real threats they see are the ones Trump himself shouts from the rooftops: witch hunts and partisan Biden prosecutors. These men have picked their team. The rest hardly matters.