Jamie On Camera:
Imagine our world in 6,000 years. Would the earth be uninhabitable? Would there even be a trace of the human species? And if anyone is left, would they even remember us? Below me, preserved in a sealed crypt, is our calling card to the unknown future.
Opening
Voiceover:
In the mid 1930s, Ogelthorpe University president Dr. Thornwell Jacobs envisioned a crypt of civilization. One that would store records of 20th-century life for centuries into the future. He was called the father of the modern time capsule and on May 28th, 1940 the solid stainless steel door was sealed.
Jamie On Camera:
This door is not to be opened until May 28, 8113. Think about that for a moment…
Voiceover:
In less than 100 years think about how much we have changed. How much history and world-changing events have reshaped this planet and our population…
Jamie On Camera:
A day before this vault was sealed on May 27th, 1940 the British and allied forces had begun evacuating Dunkirk. The United States had wanted to keep out of another world war but a little over a year later, on December 7th, 1941 we were attacked at Pearl Harbor and the rest is history as they say.
Voiceover:
Polio ravaged our population with its paralyzing effects and even our president, Franklin D. Roosevelt had suffered its curse. Mount Rushmore was completed about a year later on June 26th, 1941. And the hit song playing on the radio…yes, I said radio, was “I’ll Never Smile Again” by Tommy Dorsey and His Orchestra.
Americans listened to the radio for entertainment…there was no television or computers.
Jamie On Camera:
But let's talk more about the crypt…
Voiceover:
Inside are many artifacts ranging from microfilm with more than 800 classic works of literature, including the Bible, the Quran, Homer’s Iliad and Dante’s Inferno. There are voice recordings of historical figures such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini and Franklin Roosevelt.
Jamie On Camera:
And on the unusual level, Popeye the Sailor even has his voice recorded and preservedfor history behind this door.
Voiceover:
But, there is more…seed samples, dental floss, contents of a woman’s purse, an electric toaster, a pacifier, a Budweiser beer, a typewriter, radio, adding machine and many other samples of our mid-20th-century lifestyle. The room itself is 20 feet long, by 10 feet wide and is protected by Appalachian granite. I’m told the top of the chamber is under a stone roof which is 7 feet thick!
Jamie On Camera:
If we have changed this much in less than 100 years, who knows what this planet will be like in 6,000 years. But, if someone or something finds this crypt will learn a little more about the Stories, Secrets and Sagas that shaped us. See you next time!
