In conjunction with Washington Weekend, the Department of Communication time capsule was opened Saturday, unveiling 50 years of communication history.

The time capsule was sealed in 1957 and designated to be opened this year in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first journalism class taught at the UW.

The communication department has also put together a time capsule representing communications and life in 2007 to be opened in 2057.

The 1957 capsule contained a wealth of written material, including a variety of newspapers, advertisements and publications of the day.

The 1957 class yearbook, a UW catalogue, a Puget Sound public radio program schedule and the dedication program were also included.

Also present were tape recordings of talks given at the dedication of the Communications Building and some photographs of student life.

Yet UW pranksters made some unexpected additions to the time capsule during the early 1980s.

It remains unknown how the anonymous contributors managed to open the capsule, which was safely vaulted into the wall of a public hallway in the Communications Building.

The more recent additions to the capsule included two pairs of underpants, a selection of 1980s records, a copy of The Daily and a twinkie.

The jokers also saw fit to add some Hustler and Playboy magazines, as well as a novel entitled Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Too Afraid to Ask.

"How they managed to pull it off in secrecy in a public hallway, we really do not know; it's incredible that they managed to keep the prank secret for 30 years," said Victoria Sprang, alumni and development manager for the Communication department. "It would be really great if they would come forward and tell us how they did it."

The class of 1957 was part of the dawn of a new era in communication, making it historically interesting to see how much has changed in the last 50 years, said New York Times reporter and UW alumnus Timothy Egan, a keynote speaker at the event.

Egan also noted that the class of 2007 faced a significant technological challenge when putting together time capsule.

"I have been hugely impressed by the work put into the 2007 time capsule," he said. "My only fear is that we may not be able to access some of the material in the future. Things are becoming obsolete so fast these days."

Sharon LeeMaster, an associate editor of The Daily in 1956 and contributor to the 1957 time capsule, was one of three women in the communications editorial program.

"I remember being discouraged by an old-fashioned professor who thought that women should not be in the program," she said. "It's great to see how times have changed since then — now I hear that women form the majority in this department."

LeeMaster said she expects even greater change will be seen when the 2057 capsule is opened.

"Journalism and communication is changing every hour, so it will be very interesting to see how things have changed in another 50 years," she said.

Sprang was pleased to see the capsule unveiled.

"A lot of people have memories of the time capsule and plaque situated in the wall next to The Daily offices, so it's been great to finally open it," she said.

Yet Sprang expects the new time capsule will prove more problematic to break into.

"This year's time capsule will certainly be more secure than the last," she said. "It will be a great challenge for the next generation of UW pranksters."

The 2007 time capsule includes an array of current news publications, from local papers such as The Daily and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer to national magazines including Us Weekly and Rolling Stone.

A 24-hour recording of RainyDawg radio was also included, as well as material from "A Day in the Life of..." which documents the lives of two UW alumni, a UW graduate and a UW undergrad for a 24-hour period.

The participants took a multitude of photographs with particular emphasis on the mediums of communication used throughout the day.

Further time capsule inclusions were a scrapbook of current advertising campaigns, biography cards of 2007 "Communication gurus" and a DVD featuring information on issues of the day.

"I would definitely encourage students to come back in 50 years and see how things have changed since 2007," Sprang said.

Reach reporter Jessalin Fraser at news@thedaily.washington.edu.