Learn about the Westinghouse Time Capsule buried as part of the 1939 New York World’s Fair - to be opened 5000 years in the future.

The 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule was created by Westinghouse as part of their exhibit. It measured 90 inches in height, weighed 800 pounds and had an interior diameter of 6.5 inches. It was constructed of a copper, chromium and silver alloy which Westinghouse named “Cupaloy”, which they claimed was harder than steel. It contained everyday items such as a spool of thread and doll, a Book of Record, a vial of staple food crop seeds, a microscope and a 15-minute RKO Pathe Pictures newsreel. Microfilm spools condensed the contents of a Sears Roebuck catalog, dictionary, almanac, and other texts.

The New York Times maintains a complete list of all the items contained in the time capsule. The list included hundreds of items in a broad range of categories including:

• Small articles of common use
• Textiles and materials
• Miscellaneous items
• More than 22,000 pages of materials in microfilm with an included microfilm reader
• and much more

The list of items is fascinating as it captures the life, technology and times of 1939. It is well worth investing a few minutes reading the list to see how much has changed since then (and how much is still the same.)

The film clip below is part of the film The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair. This clip discusses how it is made of Cupaloy a mix of tempered copper, chromium and silver and an overview of some of the contents and its purpose.