Episode 238: The Crypt of Thornwell Jacobs
Nov 06, 2025•21 min
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Summary
Discover Thornwell Jacobs, a man troubled by the fragmentary knowledge of ancient Egypt, who conceived the revolutionary idea of the time capsule. This episode explores his grandest project, the "Crypt of Civilization," a meticulously designed repository intended to provide future generations with a comprehensive understanding of the 20th century, housed within Oglethorpe University until the year 8113. It reflects on the legacy and potential misinterpretations of such a colossal undertaking.Episode description
Order The Memory Palace book now, dear listener. On Bookshop.org, on Amazon.com, on Barnes & Noble, or directly from Random House. Or order the audiobook at places like Libro.fm.
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX. Radiotopia is a collective of independently owned and operated podcasts that’s a part of PRX, a not-for-profit public media company. If you’d like to directly support this show, you can make a donation at Radiotopia.fm/donate.
Music
- Kara-Lis Coverdale's A480
- Palimpsest from Will Bate's score to The Sound of Silence
- Harriett Smith and Robert Martin Meet in the Rain from Isobel Waller Bridge's score to Emma.
- The Play from Dan Romer's score to (the terrific) Station Eleven.
- Cutting Branches from a Temporary Shelter from the Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
- Sustainable from H. Takahashi.
Notes
- There's a particularly good article by Colin Dickey about Jacobs and The Crypt in American Scholar.
- You can read all 1100 pages of Jacobs' autobiography here, if you haven't already.
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