Women and men of the future, greetings. It is now May 17, 2100, exactly one century after this lovely carved box was sealed and hidden away beneath the floor of our museum. If, as we hope, you have just broken its seal on this anniversary of the birth of our city, you will find the 20 objects from the 20th century that were left for you on May 17, 2000.

This legacy has a particular significance for us, as it marks our passage to a new century and a new millennium. How could we have missed the chance to take advantage of this ideal opportunity for reflection, to sum up the past century? How could I, a historian and museologist who have devoted my professional life to preserving the tangible traces of the past and making them known to and appreciated by my contemporaries, not have felt compelled to salute this milestone in some way, and to see our museum mark it in some significant fashion?

There were thousands of ways for us to tell you about the 20th century. We could have portrayed it in works of art, in magazines or newspapers. Packaged it up in voices and faces with photos, films and recordings… but Pointe-à-Callière is a museum of archaeology and history, and a museum of Montréal. So we chose these objects as a way of explaining to you the values, lifestyles, innovations and events of our time. And it was Montrealers, in fact all Quebeckers, who were asked to identify and comment on the objects most representative of the 20th century. From the many items suggested, a jury of different public figures from Montréal made the final selection.

Now the time has come for you, Montrealers and historians of the future, to bring these 20 objects back to light. What world will they find, these items born in a century of science and communication? How far will their technological descendants have progressed? Will philosophy have provided the tools necessary to smoothly absorb the changes they began?

Although I cannot know what will happen on this day in the future, I and my contemporaries hope from the bottom of our hearts that your world is one of peace and happiness for as many people as possible. And I invite you to enrich this collection with your own 21 objects of the 21st century!