A Capsule Fails the Test of Time

The US state of Oklahoma, the 48th state in the Union, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007. In a year full of official     1    (celebrate), one event in June attracted spectators and media from all around the world. On 15 June 2007, thousands of people gathered in Tulsa to watch the unearthing of a time capsule that had been buried half a century earlier. There was a feeling of     2    (excite) in the air. As well as     3    (wait) to see the time capsule, the crowd was also waiting to find out who had won a competition which     4    (launch) when the capsule was buried 50 years earlier.

The time capsule was a large concrete box. People said it was strong     5     to survive a nuclear strike. It had to be large and strong, because it contained a car: a brand new 1957 Plymouth Belvedere. Inside the car     6    (be) lots of everyday items from the 1950s. For example, there was a can of petrol and a case of beer in the boot. In the glove box was a handbag     7    (contain) a lipstick and other small items considered     8    (essence) for a ‘typical’ woman in the 1950s.

Before the capsule was buried, officials ran a competition. Entrants had to guess what the population of Tulsa would be in 2007. The organizers recorded all the guesses and saved     9     on a roll of microfilm. The microfilm was placed in the Plymouth Belvedere. The organizers’ idea was that     10     the time capsule was opened in 2007, the winner would be announced – and he or she (or his or her hers) would win the entire contents of the time capsule, plus the contents of the savings account.