Time capsules are used by communities across the United States to capture a moment in time and preserve artifacts for future generations. Colonial leaders in Boston, Massachusetts buried a time capsule under the Massachusetts State House in 1795. The contents from this time capsule have been removed and displayed. Listen to learn more about who buried the time capsule and what they found inside.
Story Length: 1:56
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November 12, 2015
5:53
The battles of Lexington and Concord started the Revolutionary War in 1775. Archaeologists have recently found 240 year old musket balls that were shot in the first battles of the Revolution. The Colonial and British musket balls are from the second battle at Minute Man Park in Lexington, where Captain Parker fought the British and caused them to retreat. With this discovery, people are broadening the area where they thought this battle took place. Although it’s hard to determine exact details, new technology helps archaeologists find out what happened at this site so long ago. Listen to hear more about what can be learned about the start of the American Revolution.
Read MoreDecember 4, 2014
5:38
We use clocks throughout the day to mark the passage of time and organize our days, but what is time? For scientists who study time this is a surprisingly difficult question and it is becoming more complicated as even more accurate clocks are developed. Listen to learn more about a clock that is so accurate the passage of time varies based on where the clock is located.
Read MoreNovember 21, 2014
3:58
The traditional Thanksgiving story tells us that the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 and were greeted by an English speaking Native American named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims to survive in the New World and prevented them from starving. But this legend fails to tell the whole story; for example, why did Squanto speak English? Listen to learn the real story of Squanto, which began 400 years ago in 1614.
Read MoreOctober 10, 2014
8:35
Columbus Day is celebrated every October, but our understanding of Christopher Columbus and his “discovery” of America has changed dramatically since Columbus Day became a federal holiday in 1937. This change of perception has come with more knowledge of what the Americas and Native American cultures were truly like before Europeans arrived. Highly complex and organized communities could be found in places like the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan. This public radio story paints a vivid picture of the Americas before Columbus and compares our original understandings of the area with reality.
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