time capsule’s contents are unveiled in Kansas City [Video]

Time capsules are fickle, and the opening of one entombed a century ago inside one of the nation’s preeminent World War I memorials was no exception.

The first challenge was just getting to the time capsule, which was entombed in a tower that rises 217 feet (66 metres) into the Kansas City skyline and is topped by a giant flame.

Crews had to drill through 18 inches (45 centimetres) of concrete and limestone, said Christopher Warren, the chief curator of the National World War I Museum and Memorial, during an unveiling Wednesday.

“It was not easy. There was no door to open and pull the time capsule out,” he said.

Then there was another issue: the time capsule included 1920s-era film that contained nitrate. As it deteriorates over time, it can be highly flammable, so the police department bomb squad was on hand when the time capsule was first opened.

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