195-year-old time capsule discovered at West Point to be opened live online
US Military Academy West Point is to live stream the opening of a 195-year-old time capsule during a ceremony on 28 August.
The contents of the recently discovered time capsule will be revealed for all to see at 10:30 am via the military academy's official YouTube channel – youtube.com/@westpoint
West Point, America's equivalent to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, discovered the sealed, lead time capsule in the base of their Thaddeus Kosciuszko monument during recent renovations.
Academy officials have determined the capsule was placed in the base of the Kosciuszko monument 195 years ago.
Thaddeus Kościuszko was a Polish general, military engineer, and revolutionary who fought in the American Revolutionary War, as well as an uprising in his home country.
He was known for his bravery, kindness, patriotism, likeability and unwavering strength of character.
Lt Gen Steve Gilland, US Military Academy Superintendent, said: "This time capsule is truly a unique discovery and we are excited to open it and see what the cadets left us nearly two centuries ago.
"The capsule's contents will certainly add to the West Point story and is another example of past generations of cadets gripping hands with present and future generations."
US Military Academy West Point, founded in 1802, educates, trains and inspires future US Army officers.
The original base and column were designed by John H.B. Latrobe, a former cadet from the Class of 1822, and paid for by cadets.
The eight-and-a-half-foot bronze statue of Thaddeus Kosciuszko was mounted on the column 85 years later and donated by the Polish Clergy and Laity of the United States in 1913.
During an inspection in 2021, it was discovered that the column and base had structural cracks, so the statue was removed and placed in storage.
The capsule was found in 2023 when the monument's base was removed from the site.
X-rays of the time capsule to determine its contents, conducted by the military academy's Department of Physics and Nuclear Engineering, were inconclusive.
The academy plans to continue the tradition by placing a time capsule into the rebuilt base of the monument.
What do you think is in the time capsule?
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