When is America250’s planned time capsule scheduled to be opened?

America250’s planned time capsule is scheduled to be opened on July 4, 2276.

The date is exactly 250 years after July 4, 2026, the United States Semiquincentennial. It also corresponds to the 500th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, creating a deliberate link between the nation’s 250th and 500th anniversaries.

The capsule is planned for burial in Philadelphia, a city central to the Declaration’s history. Its purpose is to preserve artifacts and records that represent the United States at the time of its 250th anniversary for people living two and a half centuries later.

This date is not the 300th anniversary in 2076. The year 2076 would mark 300 years since 1776, while 2276 marks 500 years. The capsule’s unusually distant opening date is the feature that makes it a long-term historical project rather than a near-future exhibit.