Note From 1971 Hidden in Heating Duct Goes Viral: 'Took You Long Enough'
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
In 1971, a man hid a note in his home after a major historical event—and it's now been found, more than 50 years later, according to a viral Reddit post.
User u/45and47-big_mistake took to the FoundPaper subreddit on June 12, where they shared a photo of a handwritten note, held on to a surface by tape, yellowed, seemingly with age.
Revealing that the note was discovered at a friend's house, "taped to the inside of a heating duct grill," they asked: "Is 54 years soon enough?"
It appears to be a reference to the decades-old note's first sentence: "Whoever finds this, it sure took you long enough." Along with his message, the writer stated that he had written the hidden message on February 2, 1971.
The man who wrote the note, in what appears to be green marker, identified himself as Roy Steven. The Reddit poster had blocked out the last name before sharing it online.
Roy added in his long-lost message: "PS Apollo 14 took off and headed for the moon last Sunday, Jan 31."
The Apollo 14 mission saw astronauts Alan B/ Shepard Jr, Edgar D. Mitchell, and Stuart A. Roosa head to the moon, a year after the tragedy of Apollo 13.
They arrived in lunar orbit on February 4, two days after Ron Steven dated his note.
The post received 46,000 votes and almost 400 comments.
Reddit users were awed, with one encouraging the poster to "frame it," some asking the poster to track the man down. Another suggested the note could even be of interest to smaller space-themed museums, as one commenter said: "We really need a series of found paper museums."
"I was two weeks old when Roy wrote that note," one commented, with another replying: "I'd be waiting exactly 29 years and one day to be born."
Stock image of a handwritten note being created with a fountain pen.
Stock image of a handwritten note being created with a fountain pen.And another wrote: "Such a cool find! You must add an updated note—that's what I did when I cleaned behind my oven and found a similar note written on the wall."
"Amazing that the tape still works," one commenter pointed out, as another joked they "don't make it like they used to."
"Try track em down—they'd be soooo chuffed it took so long," one said. Another, agreeing, added: "Even if they are no longer alive, I'm sure some loving loved ones would love it."
Newsweek has contacted u/45and57-big_mistake via Reddit for comment on this story. We could not verify the details of this case.
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