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One of man's most consistent characteristics is his curiosity. From the most ancient times, man has pursued the unknown and this pursuit has been the springboard of human and scientific progress.
We cannot deny that the primitive urge of curiosity has been the foundation of the Time Capsule Expo '70 project too. Being curious people ourselves, we have assumed that the people of 5,000 years hence will be the same and that a record of life in ancient times will be of immense interest to them.
During our discussions about the contents of the capsules, we attempted to put ourselves in the position of those living in the distant future and we asked ourselves how we could fully satisfy their curiosity. So, to some extent perhaps, our final selection was rather subjective. Nevertheless, as far as the practical aspects of the capsules were concerned, these were approached in a throughly scientific way.
Great efforts were made to ensure that the capsules and their contents would survive for the required length of time- including the development of special preservation techniques. Every possible process was considered for the treatment of perishable items. Regrettably, we had to exclude some items which we would have liked to put in; however we are confident that the final selection will give a remarkably clear picture of life, science and art in the year 1970.
The age we live in is sometimes referred to as the age of nuclear energy or the age of space travel, but in fact we are merely on the threshold of major developments in these fields. We are still investigating the potential of nuclear energy and making our first exploratory journeys into space.
This is an exciting era in which systematic research promises the answer to many of the problems facing mankind. It is our hope that you, the people of the future, will understand not only the way we live now but also the particular spirit of the year 1970 AD.
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