In 2021, a strange lead box was discovered at the base of a monument to Thaddeus Kościuszko, a Polish military leader who fought in the Revolutionary War, at the U.S. military’s West Point academy. Officials determined it was placed there in 1828.
Calling it a “unique discovery” and “another example of past generations of cadets gripping hands with present and future generations,” the academy planned a dramatic opening ceremony that featured a panel of military personnel and experts. The event was live-streamed on Monday, and began by hyping up the possibilities of what could be inside the box.
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The stream started with clips of cadets speculating about the box’s contents, with guesses ranging from an American flag to a class ring to a diary. Brigadier General Shane Reeves, dean of West Point’s academic board, made an introduction. “I know you’re very excited about the big moment,” he said. “I know you are.” He said there could be three ways the opening could go: There could be nothing inside the box (similar to the infamous opening of Al Capone’s vault on live TV), or dust, or “some amazing historic artifacts; something we didn’t even know or think about.”
The box itself is alluring. The nondescript gray container has a symbol in the center that appears to be a series of concentric circles. “We’re not certain of any significance to Kościuszko or the early academy for that,” said the expert who would open the box on stream.
As the box’s lid was carefully opened, academy historian Jennifer Voigtschild asked, “What do we see?” The answer was nothing, as the crowd laughed and groaned. “Oh, shit…” someone could be heard whispering.
There was debris at the bottom of the box, which experts said could be mud, dust, or something organic which had decayed.
“I am sure some in the audience have questions for our various experts up on stage,” Voigtschild said. Nobody asked a question.
“We wish there had been more in the box,” she later said.
