Members of Congress have buried a stainless steel time capsule a few feet from Independence Hall in Philadelphia to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, following a Congressional resolution mandating the ceremony. The capsule carries strict instructions not to be opened until the year 2276 — 250 years into the future — and is intended to preserve the nation's founding ideals for a generation as distant from the present day as today's Americans are from the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers travelled to Philadelphia for the occasion, with Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana speaking about the significance of the event. Every US state and all six territories contributed artefacts, and the capsule also holds letters from Congressional leaders and from the commissioners of the NBA (Adam Silver), NHL (Gary Bettman) and MLB (Rob Manfred), whose contents were kept secret as they are meant for future readers. The article notes the historical resonance of the site, recalling that Congress met in Philadelphia from 1790 to 1800 and that Washington, DC was created partly in response to the 1783 Pennsylvania Mutiny, when unpaid Continental Army soldiers threatened Independence Hall.