A look at what's inside the America 250th time capsule buried in Philadelphia

The Founders finalized the Declaration of Independence there.

But something big also went down at Independence Hall just a few days ago - literally.

As in the ground.

"Our responsibility is not simply to remember what happened here on these grounds. But to preserve those same ideals of whose generation came before and that will come after us," said Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., who traveled with a coterie of bipartisan lawmakers to Philadelphia for the occasion.

"The Congressional time capsule is a reflection of our faith in the future of this grand experiment in self-governance," said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. "When this capsule is finally opened, those Americans will be as distant from us as we are today from the men who signed their names on our declaration."

Each U.S. state and all six of its territories furnished artifacts to bury in the stainless steel time capsule.

There were letters from Congressional leaders. Also, ones from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.

Fox asked MLB what Manfred wrote in the letter. But he wouldn't say. That's because the missive is intended for those in the future.

At least the Mets still won't be paying Bobby Bonilla in 2276.

Three temporal lines intersected for the burial of the time capsule in Philadelphia. Each item represented something from America's past. The burial was about present day - America's 250th birthday. But, the ceremony was simultaneously about the future.

"We have a piece of metal from the Freedom Tower that obviously represents both the struggle initially and what happened on September 11th. But then ultimately, the resilience of rising from the ashes, as America has always done," said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.

But everyone longed to include something else important to them.

"Well, a New York Knicks championship ring would be incredible," said Jeffries.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Penn., represents Independence Mall and the location of the time capsule. He pushed his colleagues to adopt a resolution for lawmakers to meet in Philadelphia for a Joint Session of Congress. But that didn't happen.

But like Jeffries, Boyle hoped to include whimsical items as well.

Here are some of the other contents:

Georgia donated a medallion from the Masters Golf Tournament. And, being the home of Coca-Cola, the state also sent along a vintage glass Coke bottle.

One of the biggest items in the time capsule was a piece of bone from a North Atlantic Right Whale. It's listed as one of the most-endangered of the large whale species. It would be a testament to aquatic preservation if the North Atlantic Right Whale is still swimming in 2276.

One of the most intriguing items in the collection came from California. The Golden State included an AI prompt from the chatbot Claude. People asked Claude what the country would be like in 250 years.

Like Manfred's letter, what Claude spat back out is lost to the future, sealed in the time capsule.

In 1776, the colonists wore tri-cornered hats and powdered wigs. Those aren't around anymore. New Mexico's contributions included bolo ties, culturally important apparel in the American Southwest. One wonders if anyone will still be wearing those in 250 years. To say nothing of any sort of necktie.

"The 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence were signing their death forms. After all, they knew what they faced had they not succeeded," said Boyle.

The artifacts in the time capsule represent where America stands. But also suggests where it might go.

There's an Olympic Gold medal, won by an American athlete at the Winter Games in Milan and Cortina earlier this year. And, there's an Apple iPhone.

As important as iPhones are now, people in the future might see little difference between an iPhone and a BlackBerry.

Ironically, the biggest enemy of a time capsule is time itself.

"Our main takeaway here is that of the longer generation time capsules, water has destroyed most of them. Time has destroyed many others and things get lost or the items inside react," said Michael Berilla with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. "I made time capsules back in high school - maybe you have too - where they just failed miserably."

That's one of the reasons they didn't include a football in the time capsule. The leather would degrade over time.

And you thought "Deflategate" was a big deal.

The hope is that the time capsule at Independence Hall doesn't fail. And, that the country doesn't fail either. That way, people can gather on the green by Independence Hall and see the treasures we sent them from the past.

And as they crack the time capsule open, maybe devour a cheesesteak - if those are still a Philadelphia delicacy in 2276.