Century-Old Time Capsule Found Inside Boston Statue

A lion statue perched atop the Old State House in Boston has been hiding a secret for 113 years: He's got a time capsule inside his head, reports WBZ-TV. When the lion came down for restoration, authorities with the Bostonian Society used a tiny camera to peer inside and confirm an old city rumor: Inside is a sealed copper box that went up with the lion in 1901. The tricky part now is getting the box out without destroying the lion, and authorities think they'll need a week or so to figure it out.

Meanwhile, the Boston Globe looks back into its own archives and finds a 1901 story reporting that the time capsule contains “contributions from state and city officials, the Boston daily newspapers, the name of the maker of the lion and unicorn, and others.” (A unicorn sits near the lion on the building.) Assuming all goes well, the box's contents will be in the hands of the Bostonian Society next week, and the lion will be back in place—along with a brand-new time capsule—next month. (Another interesting recent statue find: a 300-year-old Jesus statue with actual human teeth.)