This iPhone Was Buried In Time Capsule That Future Americans Will Open In 2276

Thanks to an interesting initiative by America250 — the commission entrusted with planning and coordinating the 250th Independence Day celebrations across the United States — someone living in the country in the year 2276 (250 years from now) will be able to closely monitor and marvel at an ancient piece of technology known as the Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max. The iPhone in question, which was sealed and buried inside a time capsule, is expected to remain unused and untouched for the next two centuries.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max was one of the several things stored inside the time capsule that was buried on July 4, 2026, which was the 250 year anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. It was buried at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia, where it is set to remain for the next two and a half centuries.

The list of other items collected by America 250 that were stored along with the iPhone includes a curated collection of letters; documents from all 56 states and territories; and a host of other artifacts that represent the life of an average American in 2026. The eventual plan is to recover and reopen the capsule on July 4, 2276, when the U.S. celebrates its 500th anniversary.

Three American agencies were involved in the design and creation of the time capsule: scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), preservation experts from the Library of Congress, and officials from the National Park Service. Given that the capsule itself and the things inside of it should remain intact for the next 250 years, every effort was made to make it durable. A cylindrical vessel made of stainless steel, it is further protected by a metal bell jar cover that will create an air pocket around it, shielding it from humidity. 

The iPhone was included as part of the America Innovates initiative, designed to showcase cutting-edge consumer technology from 2026. Besides the phone, which is in the popular "Cosmic Orange" color, the America Innovates project also includes notecards from the public, who wrote about innovations they predict will happen in the next 250 years.  

America 250 also included a prediction generated by Claude AI, in which it was given a prompt to predict what California would be like in 250 years. Another technological related artifact included in the time capsule was a qubit chip made by the University of California, Berkeley.