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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 1963)
WHAT'S IN THE World's Fair Time Capsule? By HANS FANTEL Just 25 years ago, on Sept. 23, 1938, a unique "Time Capsule" an age proof package of mementos of our civi lization was buried at the site of the first New York World's Fair. From its contents, future historians may gain a glimpse of our times. Die-stamped on the cap sule are instructions that say in effect, "Do not open until 6939" 6,000 years from the date of that World's Fair. But history is in a hurry these days. So much has changed in 25 years that the Time Capsule already needs a lot of revision. To bring it up to date the Westinghouse Electric Corporation will bury a new capsule alongside its old one at the next World's Fair, which opens in April. The capsule's contents, which will be announced early next year, will supplement the old capsule, add ing such later events of civilization as World War II, atomic energy, space exploration, com mercial tv, jet aircraft, antibiotics, polio vaccine, and the United Nations. But the torpedo-shaped "missile to posterity" that celebrates its 25th anniversary this week still carries the main message of our age. More than anything else, common household articles are the key to a civilization. That's why the cap sule contains such homey articles as an alarm clock, a can opener, a fountain pen, a light bulb, a padlock and key, a toothbrush, a slide rule (with instructions), a telephone, a watch, a safe ty pin, eating utensils, a camera, and a doll. To give some idea of our. personal habits, there's an electric razor, a woman's make-up kit, a nail file, and a woman's hat designed by Lilly Dache. And as clues to our spare-time pursuits, posterity may ponder over a golf ball and a tee, some poker chips, a baseball, a smoking pipe, and a deck of cards together with a copy of Hoyle's Rules for Garnet. To wrap up our entire era in a "capsule di gest," the seven-foot, six-inch container has been stuffed with microfilmed records of our history, religions, arts, sciences, and customs some 10 million words, the equivalent of 200 full-length novels. In this tightly packed kaleidoscope of 20th-century U.S.A., historians of the 70th cen tury will find a treatise on science next to a Mickey Mouse comic strip, a monograph on met allurgy wrapped around The Reader's Digest on the same microfilm reel, or a history of art snug gled against Spalding's Baseball Guide. Our arts and entertainments are documented by microfilmed reproductions of a Picasso paint ing, the music of "The Stars and Stripes Forever" and "Flat-Foot Floogee," the famed novel, Gone With the Wind, and a collection of Broadway plays, vintage 1937. Countless industrial reports will tell our dis tant progeny how we made everything from met als to women's wear. And to convey the flavor of everyday life in the United States, the capsule New capsule, suspended from three pylons, will be displayed during 196i-65 Fair and buried later. "l '"WjMHHl fTI--a-gSK L-rrJ .... .1 The capsule was lowered into its 5,000-year rest ing place in 19S8 at site of the N.Y. World's Fair. contains microcopies of almost every American magazine published 25 years ago. Since a language is organic and ever-changing, Westinghouse has tried to preserve English for future historians. The translation aids include the Lord's Prayer in 300 languages and dialects, on the chance that one or more of them might still be known in 6939. By comparing those lan guages with English, scientists may find clues to the meaning of our words, just as we deciphered the hieroglyphs of Egypt by comparing them with Greek. Thoughtfully a microscope for reading the film has been included, just in case the knowledge of optics is lost along the way. All the items in the capsule were made of ma terial certified by the U.S. Bureau of Standards to stay fresh 5,000 years. Moreover, everything was sealed in a Pyrex cylinder filled with chem ically inert nitrogen to forestall corrosion. Fi nally, the tube was housed in a shell made of the most durable metal then known Cupaloy, a highly tempered copper-chromium-silver alloy. Three thousand copies of "directions" were printed with special ink on permanent paper and distributed to libraries, museums, monasteries, lamaseries, and similar permanent and presum ably safe archives throughout the world. "Dig a hole in 6939," the notice says, and then gives the exact location of the site, along with a basic key to our language. Of course, that's just like saying, "Do not open till Christmas." Westinghouse hopes that future scholars will be able to contain their curiosity. Here's the "inside story" of the package for posterity that was buried 25 years ago this weekand how it will be brought up to date at the new World's Fair COVER: Ozzie Sweet caught Sandy Koufax, star left-hander of the Los Angeles Dodgers, in action. Despite the serious injury to his pitching hand last year, Koufax is winding up a record season. Set his story, p. 15. V Family Weekly LEONARD S. DAVIDOW FmUnt and Pblut WAITER C. DREYFUS Vin Prudent PATRICK I. OTOURKE i4drrrtiiiio Dirrclor MOCTON FRANK Director 0 PMuker (Manors Send alt advertising communications to Family Weekly, 1S3 N. Michigan Aro.. Chicago Addrots all communication! about editorial foatvros to Family Verkly. 60 E. 56th St, Now Tort 22. N. T. lU. MOCCiSINO AND tOOKS. INC., 153 N. Mkhi September 22. 19(2 Board ot Editors I ERNEST V. HETN SditoM-Cir SEN KARTMAN Eirrslirc Editor ROIERT FITZOIItON Matuomo Sdilor FHIUIF DYKSTRA Art Diroetor MEIANIE DE FROFT food Editor losolyn Abravoya, Ardon (idoll, Hal landon. Jack Ryan; Foot i. Opponhalmor, Hollywood , Chicago 1. III. All rights rosonrod.
