For some of us, Fallout 4 will be our playground, lives, and only girlfriends for the weeks after it finally comes out. I plan on going a couple years until Elder Scrolls 6, but we can discuss that another time. So for the newbies who are interested in the game, but have not a clue on the lore and history behind the amazing world created by Bethesda (and some of Obsidian), take a seat, kick back, and get ready to learn a History that brought the world to a nuclear winter! 1961: Captain Carl Bell of the USSA (United States Space Agency) becomes the first human in space on the Defiance 7. He later dies on impact of the crashed capsule. He orbited the Earth for 12 minutes and 7 seconds. You may recognize the name from a history textbook or somewhere else, but your memory is lying to you. As this is where the timeline changes from ours. It was actually a Russian Cosmonaut that made it to space first, not the U.S 1969: The United States by now has split into 13 commonwealths in order to combat the spread of Communism which consists of several different states in each commonwealth. The flag is also changed to a circle of 13 stars, with a 14th larger one in the middle of the circle to represent the Federal Government (Picture of the new United States flag) July 16th: In the same year, USSA astronauts Captain Richard Wade, Captain Mark Wade, and Captain Michael Hagan become the first humans to walk on the moon. 2037: The first Mister Handy series of robots are brought to the market by General Atomics International 2044: Nuka Cola is invented by John-Caleb Bradberton. The Great Passion Fruit famine hits America, changing the formula of Nuka-Cola 2051: Trying to keep business interests and oil supply, the United States exherts increasing pressure to Mexico. Citing that political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico is a real threat to the United States. Various Economic sanctions are put in place to destabilize Mexico even further, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the Oil Refineries running and making sure the oil gets across the border. 2052: Texas oil fields are drying up quickly and shows how far the oil shortage has gotten in a documentary. The last manned mission to the moon occurs. March 5th, The socially transmitted 'New Plague' arrives in the United States, killing tens of thousands of people. The US responds by closing off all it's borders in a first ever national quarantine. Rumors suggest that the plague was a bio-engineered weapon. April, The Resource Wars begin. Many smaller countries go bankrupt, and Europe responds to the Middle East's rising prices on oil with military action. May-July, The United Nations begins to collapse. Heated debates between politics end up causing countries to withdraw from it. By July 26th the United Nations is officially disbanded. 2053: December: A terrorist attack using a nuclear device goes off in Tel Aviv, destroying the city and possibly the whole country. 2054: January: Limited Nuclear Exchange throughout the Middle East has the world worried. The United States officially begins Project Safehouse in response of the Plague and Euro-Middle Eastern War. The project is designed to create underground safe houses called 'Vaults' in the event of nuclear war or plague. 2055: West Tek begins working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. They are eventually chosen for the Pan-Immunity Virion Project twenty years later as well as Power Infantry Armor and Laser research. 2057: February: Grand Canyon Protection status is removed as a national park. May: Uranium mining in the Grand Canyon begins, the Grand Canyon is closed for good. 2059: The Anchorage Front Line is established. The United States increases military presence in Alaska to protect its oil. Pressure between Canada and the United States begins when the United States attempts to pressure Canada into letting American soldiers guard the Alaskan Pipeline. The first AI is created, paving the way for AI in laboratories across the US. 2060: Cars are no longer supplied with oil. Alternatives in Electrical and Fusion energies are being explored. U.S teeters on the edge of bankruptcy. Pressure on Fusion Research increases. The Euro-Middle Eastern war ends due to the oil fields drying up. No more motives sit for either side and Europe ends up splitting into several smaller states fighting for remaining resources. Both the Middle East and Europe are in ruin. 2062: Despite quarantine measures. The New Plague spreads like wildfire, spreading national paranoia. 2063: Most vaults are completed by now with constant city wide drills for each of them. 2065: Robert House estimates nuclear war will devastate the planet in 15 years given if the math is correct. June: Due to the enormous demands of electricity, a nuclear reactor in New York City nearly goes super critical and melting down. This leads to the effect of Power Rationing. 2066: Midwest US and Mexico have food shortages and can't supply the food that is needed in Denver. Denver breaks out in riots for food. Spring: China's fossil fuels start drying up. With this, China became more aggressive in it's trade talks with the United States. Summer: The first fusion cell is created, withing 11 years the United States has Fusion Power Plants in a few regions powered by them. Winter: China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a battleground. Canada finally allows US troops on it's soil, but pressure is still exerted. 2067: The first t-45d power armor suit is created and utilized in Alaska. It proves to be worthy against tanks and troops and has proven to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. Nuka-Cola vending machines can be found on every street. 2069: Canada begins to feel the pressure of the United States war effort in order to supply their war. Timberland is destroyed and other resources in Canada are brought to the breaking point. 2070: The first Fusion Cars are created and come at a hefty price, they are sold out in days. 2072: Riots break out in Canada due to the US's war effort. A sabotage on the Alaskan pipeline causes the final step of annexation of Canada. 2073: August: The Ballistic Orbital Missile Base is completed and is partially functioning. The base only needs manual codes to fully function. September 15th: China becomes more aggressive with biological weapons the US government decided a counter-measure was needed. So the Pan-Immunity Virion Project was officially formed and was assisted by WestTek in Southern California. 2074: Contrary to the claims of only taking back Alaska. The US attacks China's mainland with infantry, power armor units, and mechanized divisions are deployed. The quickly become bogged down on the mainland putting a drain on American resources and supply lines. June 24: Negotiations between the US and other world powers come to a dramatic end. The president stormed out of the meeting and declared the last known supply of petroleum will be used exclusively by the US and will not sell or trade to outside parties. 2075: May: Vault 112 seals two years early, for Stanislaus Braun's sadistic desires. 2076: January 3: A military team is sent to monitor West Tek research facility in the fears of international espionage. January: The United States annexation of Canada is completed. Canadian protestors are shot on sight, and the Alaskan pipeline becomes guarded by thousands of military units. Pictures of the atrocities make their way to the United States, causing further unrest and protests. April 15th: Batch 11-101a Forced Evolutionary Virus tests at West Tek are terminated...from a safe distance. June: T-51b power armor is completed. This is the pinnacle of power armor and technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. Chinese resources are pushed to the breaking point and annexed Chinese countries begin to break down. 2077: Gas prices sky rocket with the regular gas price being 7450.99 per gallon and 8500.99 per gallon for premium. A Chinese Sabotage attempt takes place at Hoover Dam. January 22: Alaska is reclaimed and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by Americans. Food riots increase, civilians killed, soldiers defect from military in both Canada and US. October 23: Nuka-Cola Quantum is released to the public. The End Of The World. October 23rd, 2077. (The Beginning of Fallout 4) The Great War: Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown. Other countries, seeing the missiles on their way, launch their planes and fire their warheads as well. Air raid sirens sound but very few heed the warning thinking it's a false alarm. The vaults are sealed. Two hours of nuclear bombardment ensues upon the Earth's surface. The effects are far worse than most imagined. The Earth's faults shift violently, thrusting mountain ranges through the soil. Whole lands are submerged under floods of water. The Great Blackout begins during the war as EMP produced by the bombing causes vehicles and other machinery to cease functioning. It lasts for an unknown period of time. The Sierra Madre gala event begins, but is cut short by the war. The casino hermetically seals itself and the holographic security murders all the guests except one. Salt Lake City is hit with 13 nuclear warheads and is mostly destroyed within 7 minutes. October 30th: A week after the initial blast, a black rain begins to fall, caused by the massive amounts of radioactive particle debris (mainly soot) from the nuclear firestorm a week earlier. Plants and animals both go rapidly into extinction. November: The Brotherhood of Steel is created by Captain Maxson, his men, and their families. This brings us to the end of the events that lead to the end of the world, and where Fallout 4 will begin for us. I hope you enjoyed the history of Fallout's world in the timeline, but keep in mind that I this is a really sketched together timeline. You can find the full timeline that extends beyond 2077 at fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Timeline. It also goes more in depth with the years as I only talked about the more important stuff. And remember. War. War never changes.
