Containers

Fun Facts About Famous Containers

• According to the Book of Exodus, the Ark of the Covenant was a chest made of acadia wood overlaid with pure gold inside and out. Its fate remains one of history's greatest mysteries.
• The jars which held the Dead Sea Scrolls are cylindrical, earthenware vessels found in the caves near the Dead Sea in 1947–1956. They were sealed with clay to prevent moisture and insects from reaching the linen-wrapped scrolls inside.
• King Tut's sarcophagus is a massive stone container of nested gilded coffins that preserved his mummified remains for over 3,000 years.
  
• In Greek mythology, Pandora's Box was the container that released all the world's evils, ensuring that only hope remained trapped inside.
• The Hope Diamond's rotating pedestal display case houses one of the world's most legendary gemstones. It was once believed to be cursed. The case is made of 3-inch-thick bulletproof glass and is located at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.
• Modern aircraft flight recorders preserve crucial data inside crash-resistant containers. Commonly known as black boxes, the information contained in them have solved countless aviation mysteries.
• The Apollo Lunar Sample Return Container (ALSRC), or "rock box" was a 15 lb sealed aluminum box used during the Apollo 11 mission. It brought the first samples of moon rocks back to Earth in 1969.
  
• The Crypt of Civilization is the most significant attempt to preserve a record of humanity. Sealed in 1940, this 2,000-cubic-foot stainless-steel chamber contains over 640,000 pages of microfilmed text, sound recordings, and everyday items like toothpaste and a Donald Duck doll. It is scheduled to be opened in the year 8113.