100 Objects #1: The Century Safe - 99% Invisible

The Century Safe was created as a time capsule for America’s 100th birthday in 1876. Citizens sealed the safe with objects they believed could tell the country’s story, with plans to open it at the next major anniversary in 1976. The safe remained locked through major historical changes, from the end of Reconstruction to Watergate. When it was finally opened, the contents were unexpected and unsettling. The safe and its objects raise questions about how people choose what to remember or forget, and how those choices shape the way history is authored. A related project presents American history through individual objects, each opening into a distinct, often shocking story.

"The Century Safe was designed as a time capsule. In 1876, as America celebrated its 100th birthday, a group of citizens filled the safe with objects they trusted to tell the country's story - to be opened at the next great anniversary, in 1976. Now, on the eve of America's 250th birthday, we're looking back at how the nation has marked these milestones, and what those celebrations actually reveal."

"In the first episode of this new series, Roman Mars and historian Jill Lepore trace the Century Safe's long wait, from the end of the Reconstruction era right up to Watergate, culminating in a highly anticipated opening in 1976. What spilled out was unexpected, even unsettling. Today, the Century Safe and its contents pose a larger question: what do the objects we choose to remember, or forget, reveal about how we author our own history?"

"A History of the United States in 100 Objects tells the story of America, one thing at a time. Hosted by Roman Mars and produced by BBC Studios and 99% Invisible, each week, an object opens the door into an extraordinary, often shocking story - about who we've been, what we've built, and what we've allowed ourselves to forget. This series forms a kaleidoscope through which American history refracts, revealing a country stranger and more fascinating than any single telling could capture."

Read at 99% Invisible