I just spotted a two day old news item that gave me such a chuckle I thought I’d share the tale. Workers toiling within the foundations of the Brooklyn Bridge have discovered what appears to be a massive stockpile of rations dating from the 1950s. The Cold War relics, largely undisturbed, are thought to have been put there by a government agency in preparation for a possible nuclear attack. The stash includes medical supplies, blankets, water, and some 350,000 army-issue “survival” crackers.

The find is amazing in its rarity and time-capsulesque quality. It got me wondering, though, how many of stockpiles from our time historians will be marvelling at in 2050. Besides the many smaller homemade bunkers probably dotting the landscape, is today’s government stashing cookies in the Golden Gate Bridge? Gatorade in the Space Needle? Rice in Mount Rushmore?

And, most importantly: do the feds realize that, when waiting out Doomsday, citizens will be more likely to keep the peace with something a bit more exciting than soda crackers??