The United States Semiquincentennial time capsule was scheduled to be unearthed on July 4, 2276.
That date is exactly 250 years after the 2026 anniversary and would mark the 500th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The project was designed to give future Americans a direct connection to the nation’s 250th-anniversary observance.
The capsule was planned for burial in Philadelphia, the city where the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration in 1776. Philadelphia’s association with the Declaration made it a particularly symbolic location for a long-range national memorial.
The date can be confused with July 2, 1776, when Congress approved the Lee Resolution declaring independence. July 4 is the traditional anniversary because it is the date associated with the Declaration’s adoption and proclamation.