Timeline

Much of the following text comes from the timeline in Fallout Bible #0, written by Chris Avellone. Much of the information in Avellone's timeline comes from the original Fallout 1 timeline created by Brian Freyermuth, some post-FO1 stuff was laid out by Rob Hertenstein, and some dates were added by Chris Avellone himself. Additionally, this timeline includes all dates mentioned in Fallout and Fallout 2 holodisks, in the dialogues, and in old design documents published in the Fallout Bible, as well as Van Buren design documents. This is probably the most complete Fallout timeline ever compiled.

Note: In Fallout games, March 1 is always directly after February 28, which means that leap years do not exist in Fallout.

20th century: 1942 | 1943 | 1992 2050s: 2050 | 2051 | 2052 | 2053 | 2054 | 2055 | 2056 | 2057 | 2058 | 2059 2060s: 2060 | 2061 | 2062 | 2063 | 2064 | 2065 | 2066 | 2067 | 2068 | 2069 2070s: 2070 | 2071 | 2072 | 2073 | 2074 | 2075 | 2076 | 2077 | 2078 | 2079 2080s: 2080 | 2081 | 2082 | 2083 | 2084 | 2085 | 2086 | 2087 | 2088 | 2089 2090s: 2090 | 2091 | 2092 | 2093 | 2094 | 2095 | 2096 | 2097 | 2098 | 2099 2100s: 2100 | 2101 | 2102 | 2103 | 2104 | 2105 | 2106 | 2107 | 2108 | 2109 2110s: 2110 | 2111 | 2112 | 2113 | 2114 | 2115 | 2116 | 2117 | 2118 | 2119 2120s: 2120 | 2121 | 2122 | 2123 | 2124 | 2125 | 2106 | 2107 | 2108 | 2109 2130s: 2130 | 2131 | 2132 | 2133 | 2134 | 2135 | 2136 | 2137 | 2138 | 2139 2140s: 2140 | 2141 | 2142 | 2143 | 2144 | 2145 | 2146 | 2147 | 2148 | 2149 2150s: 2150 | 2151 | 2152 | 2153 | 2154 | 2155 | 2156 | 2157 | 2158 | 2159 2160s: 2160 | 2161 | 2162 | 2163 | 2164 | 2165 | 2166 | 2167 | 2168 | 2169 2170s: 2170 | 2171 | 2172 | 2173 | 2174 | 2175 | 2176 | 2177 | 2178 | 2179 2180s: 2180 | 2181 | 2182 | 2183 | 2184 | 2185 | 2186 | 2187 | 2188 | 2189 2190s: 2190 | 2191 | 2192 | 2193 | 2194 | 2195 | 2196 | 2197 | 2198 | 2199 2200s: 2200 | 2201 | 2202 | 2203 | 2204 | 2205 | 2206 | 2207 | 2208 | 2209 2210s: 2210 | 2211 | 2212 | 2213 | 2214 | 2215 | 2216 | 2217 | 2218 | 2219 2220s: 2220 | 2221 | 2222 | 2223 | 2224 | 2225 | 2226 | 2227 | 2228 | 2229 2230s: 2230 | 2231 | 2232 | 2233 | 2234 | 2235 | 2236 | 2237 | 2238 | 2239 2240s: 2240 | 2241 | 2242 | 2243 | 2244 | 2245 | 2246 | 2247 | 2248 | 2249 2250s: 2250 | 2251 | 2252 | 2253 | 2254 | 2255 | 2256 | 2257 | 2258 | 2259 24th century: 2316

1942

 * Sierra Army Depot is created. Its mission is to store and maintain a defensive supply of military ordinance. This mission continued until 1991. (a real event, possibly before the Fallout universe diverged from ours)

1943

 * The Los Alamos Nuclear Research and Development facility, code name the Reservation, completes construction. Los Alamos becomes part of the research team for the Manhattan Project. (source: Reservation design document)

1992

 * The mission of Sierra Army Depot is changed. It is now responsible for the demilitarization of stores of surplus ammunition that have been deemed unfit or obsolete for military purposes. This mission is to be overseen by the Industrial Operations Command (IOC) in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), providing a greener cleaner way to dispose of military ordnance. This mission continued until 2050. (mentioned in the Sierra Mission Statement holodisk)

2050

 * The mission of Sierra Army Depot is changed again. It is refurbished with the latest in technology and is from now on used as a secret research installation for developing and testing robotic, biological and conventional weapons until 2076. (mentioned in the Sierra Mission Statement holodisk)

2051

 * Seeking to protect business interests and their oil supply, the United States begins to exert increasing pressure on Mexico, citing the political instability and pollution stemming from Mexico as a threat to the United States. Various economic sanctions serve to destabilize Mexico, and the United States military enters Mexico to keep the oil refineries running and making sure oil and fuel continue to make their way north across the border... at Mexico's expense. (appears only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2052

 * A television documentary into the withered husk of the Texas oil fields brings the oil shortage into the American households, and reveals how deep the energy crisis runs. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * April: The Resource Wars begin. Many smaller nations go bankrupt, and Europe, dependent on oil imports from the Middle East, responds to the Middle East's rising oil prices with military action. The long drawn-out war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East begins. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * May - July: The United Nations, already suffering, begins to collapse. In a series of heated debates, many nations withdraw from the organization as the UN tries to keep the peace. At the end of July, the United Nations is disbanded. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * Note: This information comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible timeline. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers, the UN still existed in 2074

2053

 * The socially transmitted "New Plague" arises, killing tens of thousands. The United States closes its borders and the first-ever national quarantine is declared. The source of the plague is unknown, but rumors persist that it is a genetically engineered weapon. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * December: Like an exclamation mark on the end of a very bad year, a terrorist nuclear weapon destroys Tel Aviv. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * ZAX 1.0 goes on-line, developed by Vault-Tec. Initially a prototype of some of the systems designed to govern the vaults, it is given to the government to help the Department of Energy collect resource data. Within a year, it is taken by the military for plague and tactical research; one version, ZAX 1.2 is constructed for West Tek (below). (mentioned in a conversation with ZAX in Fallout)

2054

 * January: Limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East raises fears throughout the world. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * In light of the Euro-Middle-Eastern conflict and the plague scare, the United States sets Project Safehouse in motion. The project, financed by junk bonds, is designed to create shelters, called Vaults, for the populace in the event of a nuclear war or deadly plague. Construction begins late in 2054 and proceeds rapidly due to advances in construction technology. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2055

 * The West Tek Research Facility starts working on a new virus to kill the New Plague. Their viral research and close ties to the federal government eventually lead to them being chosen for the Pan-Immunity Virion Project twenty years later as well as Power Infantry Armor and laser research. (mentioned in a conversation with ZAX in Fallout)
 * ZAX 1.2 is brought in to regulate conditions in West Tek. It is not part of the Vault-Tec preservation software, so it does not have any orders to protect humanity after the bombs fall. In the meantime, it calmly calculates data and plays chess with the scientists. Many scientists claim that ZAX is a big ol' cheater and draws the game out too much for a computer of his considerable abilities. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2059

 * The Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions in the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * The first artificial intelligence is born. Limited by memory constraints, its expansion is rapidly halted. The discovery paves the way for future AI research in laboratories throughout the United States. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2060

 * Traffic on the streets of the world stops moving. Fuel becomes too precious to waste on automobiles, so alternatives are explored - electric and fusion cars begin to be manufactured, but factories can only make limited amounts. Pressure on fusion research increases. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * The Euro-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry... there is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to ruin. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * The European Commonwealth dissolves into quarelling nation states, fighting over the remaining resources. (mentioned in the Fallout 1 intro)

2062

 * Despite quarantine measures, the New Plague continues to spread, fueling national paranoia. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2063

 * August: The construction of most Vaults completed, except for Vault 13, whose construction finally gets off the ground... heralding a development cycle that seems plagued with problems. Drills begin in the other cities with completed Vaults, but the increasing frequency of the drills has a "cry wolf" effect, and the turnouts for drills trickle off as the years go on. (mentioned in the Fallout manual)


 * Dr. Willem Clark, a top nuclear physicist in his day, is put in charge of all scientific endeavors at the Reservation. Colonel Green, a career soldier in the U.S. army, is put in charge of security. (source: Reservation design document)

2065

 * June: Due to enormous demands for electricity in the summer of 2065, a nuclear reactor in New York City goes supercritical, almost causing a meltdown. The near meltdown brings into effect power rationing, and the term "Hot Summer" is used to refer to the New York incident. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * August: Increasing need for mobility in the United States mechanized cavalry leads the military to focus the efforts on creating a man-based tank - essentially, a two-legged walking armored unit: Power Armor. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * 2065 - 2067: Power Armor research grows and several prototypes are developed, many of which prove to be unworkable in the field. These prototypes pave the way for future advances in military, construction, and fusion technology. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)


 * The Reservation is given orders to research and produce nuclear missiles that can be fired from an orbiting space platform. (source: Reservation design document)

2066

 * Spring: As the oil resources dry up across the globe, China's fossil fuel dependency causes an energy crisis in the nation. China, bordering on collapse, becomes more aggressive in its trade talks with the United States. Unwilling to export oil to China, talks between the United States and China break down. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * Summer: Adding further insult to the Chinese-American relations, the first crude fusion cell is unveiled, one of the results of the Power Armor project. Devices designed for the fusion cell begin to be manufactured. Incorporating fusion power into the general US infrastructure begins, but the process is too slow to supply power to the regions that need it. Nearly eleven years later, few sections of the United States were supplied with fusion power. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * Winter: In the winter of 2066, China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground. (the event is mentioned in the Fallout 1 intro)
 * Note: This date for the Chinese invasion of Alaska comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible timeline. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers, this happened on October 10, 2077
 * Winter: As a sign of increasing tension between the two countries, Canada proves reluctant to allow American troops on Canadian soil or allow American planes to fly over Canadian airspace. The United States and Canadian tensions rise, but Canada eventually backs down, and US troops pass through Canada. This sets the stage for the Canadian annexation in 2076. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)


 * Resource rationing occurs in Denver, and riots happen because of that. Midwest USA and Mexico start having food shortages and can't supply Denver with the food it needs. Food riots occur. National Guard called in. (source: Denver design document)

2067

 * The first suit of Power Armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this Power Armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordinance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)


 * Senator Todd Peterson decides to build a secret bunker to house himself and his family should war break out. Senator Peterson is a wealthy man in his own right, but lacks the funds necessary for such a project.  Through secret dealings with Poseidon Oil and a covert branch of the government known as the Enclave, the final funding for the project is attained.  A construction site is chosen in southern Colorado and work begins.

2069

 * Canada begins to feel the pressure from the United States military as the US draws upon Canadian resources for the war effort. Vast stretches of timberland are destroyed, and other resources in Canada are stretched to the breaking point. Many Americans refer to Canada as Little America, and Canadian protests are unheard. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)
 * March: Vault 13 is finally completed - it is the last of the Vaults, and drills begin. Due to its late completion, the "cry wolf" effect that hurt the other Vaults is not as pronounced. (mentioned in the Fallout manual)

2070

 * The first of the Chryslus motors fusion-driven cars are developed. Reassuringly big and American, the limited models carry a hefty price tag but are sold out within days. Many Chryslus plants have long since been converted into making military ordinance. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)

2072

 * The United States' increasing demand for Canadian resources causes protests and riots in several Canadian cities. An attempted sabotage of the Alaskan pipeline is all the military needs as an excuse to begin its annexation of Canada... which in fact, had already begun in 2067. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline)


 * Completed B.O.M.B. missiles are sent to different space centers around the U.S. so they can be carried into space and installed into the B.O.M.B. satellites. The process is slow, but it is being carried out fairly regularly. (source: Reservation design document)

2073

 * January 11: The United States managed to be the first to tap the world's last remaining supply of oil, which was previously thought to be unattainable due to it being located thousands of feet beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. (referenced in the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript)
 * Note: The Enclave's Oil Rig was most likely located there
 * September 15 : As China becomes increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project (PVP) is officially formed and plans are made to begin experiments at the West Tek research facility in Southern California. (mentioned in the FEV Research holodisk)

2074

 * Negotiations between the US and other world powers come to a dramatic end, with the President walking out of oil talks with the other world powers. After a much heated debate, the President stormed out of the meeting and declared that the last known supply of petroleum will be used exclusively by the US and the US will not sell or trade any oil to outside parties.
 * Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American Power Armor units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.
 * This information comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible timeline. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, this happened on October 22, 2077

2075

 * The Sierra Army Depot AI (Skynet) becomes self-aware
 * February 14: Canada, after being almost entirely taken over by US troops, finally agrees to be annexed by the U.S. The annexation is finalized almost a year later. (source: Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk)
 * February 15: The House of Representatives and Congress both voted unanimously to impeach the President for jaywalking. Both houses stated that the President is not above the law and should have known better than to jaywalk. Both sides deny this had anything to do with the recent annexation of Canada.
 * This information comes from the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Chris Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers.
 * March 21: PVP experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests of the virus on single-celled organisms. Experiments on plant cells are postponed. The pan-immunity virion is renamed FEV - the Forced Evolutionary Virus.
 * May 9: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, in the wake of successful tests on flatworms, the flatworms exhibit increase size and heightened resistance to viral contagions. Experiments with insects have less success, and further experimentation on insects is postponed by Major Barnett.
 * June 30: FEV experiments continue at West Tek with batch 10-011, with white mice as subjects. Increased size, muscle density, and intelligence are noted.
 * November 9: FEV experimentation (batch 10-011) on rabbits is concluded. Increased size, intelligence, and (this time) aggressiveness is noted. Apparently, it was hard to determine whether the flatworms in the previous experiments were angrier and more violent than normal. Frankly, the researchers cannot be blamed for this.

2076

 * January 3: A military team under the command of Colonel Spindel is sent to the West Tek research facility to monitor the experiments in the interest of national security. Captain Roger Maxson (the grandfather of John Maxson, the High Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 1) is among the team personnel.
 * January 12: Splicing in several new gene sequences into their test virus, dogs are injected with batch 11-101a at West Tek. Although increased strength was noted, increased intelligence was not.
 * January: The United States annexation of Canada is complete. Canadian protestors and rioters are shot on sight, and the Alaskan Pipeline swarms with American military units. Pictures of atrocities make their way to the United States, causing further unrest and protests.
 * January 26: Using batch 11-011, experiments are conducted on raccoons. Same results are noted, but the attempted escape of several infected raccoons causes Major Barnett to terminate the escape... and the test subjects. Two pairs of raccoons, however, are unaccounted for.
 * Note: Scott Campbell and Chris Taylor intended these escaped raccoons to form an intelligent animal community NW of the Glow called the "Burrows." This location was never implemented. 
 * March 30: The U.S. President ordered the Pacific Fleet to the Poseidon deep sea oil derrick located at a secret location out in the Pacific. (referenced in the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk)
 * April 15: Once all secondary tests and studies are done on the test subjects, all dogs from the batch 11-101a FEV tests at West Tek are terminated... from a safe distance.
 * June: Power Armor prototype completed, resulting in the Power Armor players find in Fallout 1. This is the pinnacle of Power Armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.
 * July: Flotation Homes and Seaweed book is published by Vault-Tec
 * August: Food and energy riots begin in major cities throughout the United States. Military units begin to be deployed in cities within the United States to contain rioters, and many temporary jails are constructed. A state of emergency is declared, and martial law soon follows.
 * October: Production of B.O.M.B. nuclear missiles is put on hold due to budget cuts. The reservation is put on reserve.
 * October 4: At West Tek, fifteen chimpanzees are infected with batch 11-111. The most successful test to date, growth and immunities in the chimpanzees surpass all other subjects to date. The military practically drools over the results. Plans are made in secret to begin testing in small quarantine towns in North America, and the Mariposa Military Base construction is sped up in anticipation of moving the West Tek project to a location under military supervision.
 * December: Fifteenth edition of Coping With Mr. Virus! is published by Vault-Tec

2077

 * New Plague hits Denver. Rioters burned down large parts of the city in their fear of contamination and anger at their treatment. Many panicked and fled the city by car, clogging the freeways when they ran out of gas and trapping everyone behind them. (source: Denver design document)

January

 * January 7: Major Barnett orders transfer of all FEV research to the newly-constructed Mariposa Military Base, despite objections by the research team.
 * January 10:	Alaska is reclaimed, and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by the Americans.
 * January 22:	The first domestic use of Power Armor within the United States for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured, and are sent to military prisons.

February

 * February: FEV Research is leaked to the world through an unknown source. Protests in many major cities and governments around the world, as well as accusations that the US was responsible for the New Plague. FEV is seen as the threat it is, and serves only to fuel tensions.

March

 * Prepared for a nuclear or biological attack from China, the president and the Enclave retreats to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war.
 * Vault Dweller's Survival Guide is published by Vault-Tec

July

 * Between July 10 and October 23: Sierra Army Depot is evacuated

October

 * October 10: Captain Roger Maxson and his men discover that the scientists at Mariposa have been using "military volunteers" (military prisoners who didn't have their brains scooped for use in Brain Bots) as test subjects in their experiments. Morale in the base breaks down, and in light of the mental breakdown of Colonel Robert Spindel stationed at the base, Maxson's men turn to him for leadership. (referenced in Captain Maxson's Diary holodisk)
 * October 10: China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground.
 * This information comes from the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers. According to Avellone's Fallout Bible timeline this happened in the winter of 2066
 * October 13: After an interrogation, Maxson executes Robert Anderson, the chief scientist. (referenced in Captain Maxson's Diary holodisk)
 * October 15: Colonel Spindel commits suicide. All scientists are executed. (referenced in Captain Maxson's Diary holodisk)
 * October 20:	Captain Roger Maxson, now in control of Mariposa, declares himself to be in full desertion from the army (via radio)... and nothing happens. (referenced in Captain Maxson's Diary holodisk)
 * October 21: Maxson orders all families stationed outside the base moved inside the Mariposa facility. (referenced in Captain Maxson's Diary holodisk)
 * October 23:	Great War: Bombs are launched; who struck first is unknown... and it is not even known if the bombs came from China or America. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed.
 * October 23:	Necropolis Vault never closes. Once it becomes known that the other vaults have sealed, people within Bakersfield attempt to force their way into Vault 12 to protect themselves and their families.
 * October 23:	The West Tek research facility is hit by warheads, breaking open the FEV tanks on levels four and five and releasing it into the atmosphere. Mutated by radiation, it loses its mutagenic abilities, but it later complicates stuff for the Master.
 * October 23:	The Mariposa Military Base survives, the soldiers and scientists within protected from the radiation and FEV flooding the wasteland.
 * October 25:	Two days later at Mariposa, a scout in Power Armor (Platner) is sent out to get specific readings on the atmosphere. He reports no significant radiation in the area surrounding the facility.
 * October 27:	After burying the scientists in the wastes outside of Mariposa, the soldiers seal the military base, then head out into the desert, taking supplies and weapon schematics with them. Captain Maxson leads his men and families to the government bunker at Lost Hills. (This event was called the "Exodus," and the surviving soldiers went on to eventually form the Brotherhood of Steel.)
 * Note: Although Maxson's points in his holodisk indicated that civilian personnel (presumably families of the scientists or other civilians not associated with the military) were to remain at the base, whether they did or not is unknown. 

November

 * November: Captain Maxson, his men, and their families, arrive at the Lost Hills bunker a few weeks later, suffering many casualties along the way, including Maxson's wife (but not his teenage son). The Lost Hills bunker becomes the HQ of the Brotherhood of Steel the Vault Dweller finds in Fallout 1.

2080

 * The first effects of radiation are seen in the survivors. Widespread mutations occur with animals and humans alike. Those that survive the effects of the mutations are permanently changed. New species are created almost overnight.

2083

 * Summer:		The city of Necropolis founded by the ghoul survivors of Vault 12 (and the US citizens that fled to Bakersfield when the bombs fell).

2084

 * Spring: Set takes control of Necropolis, wresting control from the original Overseer. The Vault 12 Overseer, not willing to take a dirtnap, is driven north and history loses sight of him.

2087

 * After most of the initial survivors in the Reservation succumb to radiation, those “fortunate�? enough to not die have turned into ghouls. And after spending ten years underground, they finally come back to the surface. Twelve ghouls, including Dr. Willem Clark, volunteer to search the wastes in the hopes of finding other survivors. (source: Reservation design document)

2088

 * Of the twelve volunteers to explore the wastes, only one comes back to the Reservation; Dr. Willem Clark. However, he has brought back a few dozen fellow ghouls to seek shelter at the reservation. (source: Reservation design document)

2089

 * After explaining the hardships and prejudices placed against ghouls by smooth skin humans, the ghouls of the Reservation proclaim Dr. Willem Clark as their leader. Willem further solidifies his place as leader by explaining his plans to one day make the ghouls the rightful and true heirs to the Promised Earth and that becoming a ghoul was the next, logical step in the evolutionary process. (source: Reservation design document)

2090

 * Vault 29 opens. Harold (currently human) sets out to make his fortune as a trader, making the circuit around the survivalist communities in the wasteland.

2091

 * Vault 8 opens, and they use their GECK to create fertile ground for their city. This eventually becomes Vault City.
 * Note: While Lynette says that the city was founded 120 years ago, which would place the even around 2120, the Chosen One later says that it's 70 years before the Vault Dweller left Vault 13. This probably means that Fallout 2 was initially meant to take place earlier, and the dialogue file was not corrected

2092

 * LA Vault opens, the Boneyard is founded and attracts survivors.
 * Dr. Richard Moreau is exiled from Vault City for murder. The circumstances surrounding the murder are unknown, but he changes his last name to Grey and heads south.

2093

 * The Hub is founded by a man named Angus, who sets up camp around a filthy oasis in the desert, and he proceeds to begin trading with other settlements.

2096

 * Harold rises to the level of a caravan boss in the Hub. His caravans suffer occasional attacks in the wastes, but Harold's caravan outfit survives and prospers... until the mutant attacks begin to pick up a few years later.

2097

 * John Maxson, the future High Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel in Fallout 1, is born.
 * A man named Jonathan Faust leads his group of about 200 people from the overcrowded Vault 15 into the wastes of the outside. Eventually they become a raider band known as the Vipers. (Viper design document by Scott Campbell, from Fallout Bible #6)

2101

 * The Vault City Overseer retires and the Council of Citizens is established. The Council appoints the initial First Citizen. (mentioned in a conversation with Lynette in Fallout 2)


 * The sentient raccoons that escaped from West Tek during the FEV experiments arrive to the place later known as Burrows

2102

 * May 22: Increasing mutant attacks on Harold's caravans cause Harold to get so pissed he finances one of the first adventuring parties of Fallout to try and find out where these dagnab mutants are coming from. Consulting with a scientist and doctor at the Hub, a man by the name of Grey, the two of them decide to join forces.
 * June	23: Richard Grey's Expedition [including Harold] finds the Mariposa Military Base and the Expedition is scattered and defeated by mutants at the base. Grey is knocked into one of the vats of FEV by a robotic arm, and Harold is knocked unconscious, only to awaken later out in the wasteland.
 * June	27: Harold, already mutating, is found by traders and taken back to the Hub. His former caravan partners and employees, horrified by his condition, abandon him and he is soon left without even two bottlecaps to rub together.
 * July: Richard Grey, now horribly mutated by the virus, crawls from the Vats covered with FEV and in terrible pain. Barely able to think or perceive his surroundings, he crawls into the Vat control room and begins his audio log. He fades in and out of consciousness, sometimes for days or weeks at a time.
 * July-November:	Richard Grey begins to acclimate to his condition, and begins his first tests of animals by exposing them to FEV. These experiments and his growing awareness lay the foundation for his plans for the Unity and the master race. He takes the name, "the Master."
 * November: The first human victim wanders into Mariposa, and Grey consumes him.
 * December: Grey continues his experiments on wanderers that enter Mariposa... with no success. The creations are flawed (due to the radiation counts in their bodies), making them big but incredibly stupid, and Grey consumes them rather than letting them live.

2103

 * January: The Master discovers the problem with the influence of radiation on his mutations, and he begins to choose his subjects more carefully. The first classic super mutants are born, butt-scratching animations and all. He begins his plans to build an army.
 * 2103-2130: Throughout this period, the Master begins slowly gathering test subjects, willing or unwilling, from local human stock. The Great Winter of 2130 and the scarcity of human subjects make building his army difficult.

2106

 * A small band of S'Lanter, the sentient raccoons, meets up with a group of humans later known as the Jackals. Upon seeing the animals, the humans open fire. The raccoons make back to the community. (referenced in the Burrows design document)

2120

 * Angus rules over growing Hub and establishes himself as governor.


 * Neres-Ka, the leader of S'Lanter, the sentient raccoons, dies. His son, Minishen, takes over. (mentioned in the Burrows design document)

2125

 * The Vipers attempt to raid the Hub is stopped almost solely by Angus. Angus' defense causes the Vipers to retreat north.
 * Winter: Angus is murdered. Hub is thrown into chaos.

2126

 * A band of merchants seizes the water tower in the Hub. They demand anyone wanting water must pay a toll. The Great Merchant Wars begin.
 * 2126-2128: The Great Merchant Wars are fought, the Water Merchants seal up the town, but are outnumbered. A man named Roy Greene (Justin Greene's grandfather) makes the peace and negotiates a settlement. The Hub's Central Council is formed, composed of two representatives from each of the Hub caravan companies. A long period of indecisiveness and meetings maintain the status quo in the Hub.

2130

 * The Great Winter occurs.

2131

 * 2131-2135: The Master begins ordering his super mutants to gather human stock from caravans. For many years, the caravan disappearances are blamed on monsters in the desert, and even when the abductions begin to occur on Hub caravans, the deathclaws are blamed. The super mutant army grows.

2134

 * A faction within the Brotherhood of Steel led by Sergeant Dennis Allen gains strength, and they urge the Elders to let them explore the southeast Glow for artifacts. The Elders refuse, so Allen and his divisionist group splits away from the Brotherhood of Steel, taking some technology and weapons with them.
 * Led by Sergeant Dennis Allen, a small team of the Brotherhood of Steel head to the West Tek research facility in search of technological artifacts. They arrive there twenty days later, and are promptly chewed apart by the West Tek's unforgiving automated defense systems. Wounded, Allen begins to suffer radiation poisoning from a leak in his suit. Before he dies, he logs what happened to the expedition into a holodisk then goes to join the Brotherhood in the sky.

2135

 * Elder Roger Maxson dies of cancer, and his son, already an accomplished soldier, takes up the role of "General" (Elder) within the Brotherhood of Steel. John Maxson becomes a member of the Paladins, showing tremendous promise as a soldier.

2137

 * Master's begins to mass-produce super mutants. Only about one in six or one in five attempts are successful, and of these successes, only half seem to last to go on to be part of his growing army, called the Unity.

2140

 * Decker forms Underground in the Hub and starts pulling strings.


 * Minishen, leader of the S'Lanter retires and his daughter, Rinar, takes over. (mentioned in the Burrows design document)

2141

 * Spring: Vault 15 opened.
 * Vault Dweller born.
 * This will vary according to your player character's age in Fallout 1.
 * Winter: Raiders begin to form in the region as food supplies run low. The Khans and the Vipers begin terrorizing local settlements.

2142

 * Spring: Shady Sands is founded and a wall is erected to protect the settlement from raiders.

2145

 * Tandi, the daughter of Aradesh is born.

2150

 * Around the early 2150s the Vipers grow to their former strength from captured slaves and caravan drivers and begin to establish a power base in the badlands to the North of the Hub (and south of the Lost Hills Bunker). Driven by a religious frenzy (and the need to provide for their much larger numbers of soldiers and disciples), they begin raiding more frequently than before, attracting the attention of the Brotherhood of Steel.


 * Minishen, the former leader of the S'Lanter raccoons, dies. (mentioned in the Burrows design document)

2152

 * As their influence slowly spreads throughout the wastes, the Master finds humans, doomsday cultists, and rather than dip them in the vats, he demands their obedience as spies - their leader is a man named Morpheus, an ex-member of the gang called the Rippers, and he pledges his followers to the Master. Morpheus and his cultists form the future core of the Children of the Cathedral.

2155

 * The Brotherhood sends out a few squads of scouts to track the Vipers down - it is more of a training exercise conducted by John Maxson's father, as the Brotherhood is convinced that small detachment of troops in Power Armor would be sufficient to deal with a group of raiders, no matter how large. One Brotherhood squad, lead by Maxson, finds the Vipers. Expecting the raiders to break and run, Maxson doesn't take into account the religious ferocity of the Vipers (or their poisoned weapons), and when a single arrow nicks him with his helmet off, he dies within hours. John Maxson takes up the role of Elder, and Rhombus becomes the new head of the Paladins.
 * The Paladins, now led by Rhombus, begin a full scale campaign against the Vipers, tracking them down and wiping out almost all of their members within the span of a month. Some of the Vipers are able to flee north and east into the mountain range.
 * Note: According to Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible #6, the Vipers were never heard from again. It was added there possibly because they don't appear in the final game, but it is inconsistant with Fallout 1, where the Vipers are mentioned by several characters (Ian, Aradesh, Killian) as still being around. The surviving Vipers must have therefore been still active in California until at least 2161.
 * 2155-2156: After capturing a caravan of vault dwellers, Master learns the location of the Boneyard Vault, the future site of the Cathedral. He conquers the inhabitants and sets up operations there, and the human cultists begin to use the Vault as their powerbase. Within the Vault, the Master begins to send out patrols to Vault locations in search of these other Vaults.

2156

 * The Master sees advantages in establishing a benevolent "religion," the Children of the Cathedral, and using them as spies in settlements throughout the wastes. Missionaries from the Children of the Cathedral spread slowly across the wasteland, acting as eyes and ears for Morpheus and the Master.

2157

 * The Master learns the location of the Bakersfield Vault, Vault 12, and sends a detachment of super mutants there to seize the vault. Many ghouls are snapped like twigs in the attack, and Set finally parleys with the super mutants, telling them that the ghouls are the Vault survivors the super mutants are looking for. The super mutants, angered at failing to find an intact Vault, set up a small garrison at the watershed to watch the inhabitants and insure Set's... cooperation in the war to come.

2159

 * Zimmerman hires a band of mercenaries known as the Regulators to help protect Adytum from the deathclaw and the odd random attack by raiders. (mentioned in a conversation with Gabriel, leader of the Gun Runners in Fallout 1)

2161

 * October:		A Brotherhood of Steel patrol comes across a dead super mutant in the badlands. They take the corpse back to the Scribes, and Head Scribe Vree begins her examinations of the super mutant.
 * December	5, 07:21:	Fallout 1 Begins: Vault Dweller is kicked out of Vault 13 to find a replacement water chip.
 * December 15:	Vault Dweller discovers Shady Sands. Meets Tandi, and Ian, who joins the Vault Dweller in searching for the water chip.
 * December	30:	Vault Dweller recruits Dogmeat in Junktown.


 * A group of S'Lanter, the sentient raccoons, goes in search of the truth of the Gods of the Glow. Only one of them makes it back, as the rest dies from radiation. (mentioned in the Burrows design document)

2162

 * January 4: Vault Dweller visits Scrapheap
 * January 5: Someone starts stealing water from the magazine in Vault 13.
 * January	17:	Vault Dweller reaches the Hub and negotiates with the Water Merchants to deliver water to Vault 13, buying the Vault some time.
 * February:	Vault Dweller recovers the water chip in Necropolis. Ian is killed by a super mutant and reduced to a cinder, ending his tendency to shoot the Vault Dweller in the back with SMG bursts.
 * February 23: Children of the Cathedral send their doctor to Junktown
 * March: Super Mutant army attacks Necropolis, killing many of the town's inhabitants
 * March:	Vault Dweller kicks the Master's ass.
 * April	20:	Vault Dweller destroys the Military Base. Dogmeat dies defending his master.
 * May	10:	Fallout 1 Ends: Vault Dweller returns to Vault 13, only to be told "you're a hero, and you have to leave." Some members of the Vault (led by Lydia, the head of the "return to the surface" faction, and including her supporters, Theresa and Lyle) follow soon afterwards.
 * May	12:	Vault Dweller removes the Vault suit and from this day forward, never wears it again.
 * July	10:	Vault Dweller heads North with a small group of Vault-dwellers and wastelanders and founds the small village of Arroyo.

2167

 * August	18:	Construction of Arroyo completed.

2185

 * Summer: At high noon, Marcus and Brotherhood of Steel Paladin Jacob cross paths many, many miles southwest of Broken Hills and punch and shoot each other for a few days. Eventually, they give up, unable to get an advantage over the other. The two start traveling together, arguing over Master and BOS doctrine and whether or not the Master could truly neurolink his biology into the Cathedral computer network.
 * Fall: Marcus and Jacob, along with the trail of ghouls, humans, and super mutants, found the community of Broken Hills.

2186

 * Spring: Jacob moves on, says goodbye to Marcus, then moves on for parts unknown.
 * New California Republic formed, and a central council is created as a governing body.

2188

 * October	2: Vault Dweller has a daughter (who becomes the Elder in Fallout 2).

2196

 * Tandi unanimously elected President of NCR by the NCR council. As expected, she proceeds to do a kick-ass job.

2197

 * Fallout Tactics begins. An Eastern Brotherhood of Steel squad is sent to free the village of Brahmin Wood of raiders. (Fallout Tactics)

2198

 * Enclave works on various new technologies, including Power Armor variations. None of these are much of an improvement over the conventional old school Power Armor, and some are actually worse.


 * The Eastern Brotherhood destroys the Calculator, Vault 0's mad AI, defeating his robotic army.


 * After years of trying the “natural�? way, the ghouls discovered they were indeed sterile. Dr. Willem Clark and Dr. Sebastian begin to devise a plan to create a viable way for ghouls to procreate.

2201

 * Joseph Dodge is born (source: Hoover Dam design document)

2208

 * January	16:	After writing his memoirs, Vault Dweller vanishes from Arroyo and is presumed dead. The Vault Dweller leaves the Vault Suit behind, folded on the bed. Some say the Vault Dweller was taken by the sky spirits, others say that the Vault Dweller felt it was time to move on and leave the Elders to guide Arroyo to its destiny.
 * Note: Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel takes place some time after this date.
 * February	2:	The One-Moon (Month) Cycle of mourning for the Vault Dweller ends, and activity in Arroyo begins to return to normal.
 * February	2:	Final training of the Vault Dweller's daughter for the role of village elder begins. She undergoes a great deal of physical training and tutoring in various sciences, mathematics, and, of course, weapon skills.

2210

 * January	31:	Vault Dweller's daughter takes her mystic test, a key ingredient of which is several pots worth of hallucinogenic plants from Hakunin's garden. She runs the gauntlet in the Temple of Trials, using her charm to pass most of the tests after her handgun jams (and is ruined) on the first level. She offers numerous criticisms of the test, resulting in many revisions.
 * Note: The broken handgun is the one you see on her table in the opening movie of Fallout 2.
 * February	2:	Vault Dweller's daughter ascends to role of Village Elder. She rules with a steady hand, and her wisdom is greatly respected.

2211

 * Frank Horrigan is born... unfortunately.

2215

 * August	1: Congressman Dick Richardson rises to power within the Enclave, aided by pressure from his father, President Richardson.
 * Under Presidential Order, Enclave scientists begin to work on an upgraded version of Power Armor. Many prototypes are developed and tested.

2220

 * March	5: Congressman Richardson is elected president for the first term of five, through aid and political pressure by his father (President Richardson).
 * October: Enclave scientists develop a reliable version of the Mark II Power Armor. The prototype results (and accidents... and explosions... and deaths) are classified by order of the President Richardson for the sake of morale.
 * Vic visits Vault City. Nine months later, Valerie is born. (mentioned in a conversation with Valerie)


 * The Reservation begins to purchase human slaves from the various tribes around the region. The ghouls trade what weapons they make in their underground smiths for healthy humans. The healthiest are used for the ghoul procreation experiments, while the rest work until they die from exhaustion and disease. (source: Reservation design document)

2221

 * March	23: The "Chosen One" is born. The Chosen One's father is not recorded in the tribal records. The reason for this is unknown, but the Elder may have simply been embarrassed.

2227

 * July: After years of research and experimentation, Dr. Sebastian successfully creates a Born Ghoul through procreation in the Reservation. The human host, like all the ones preceding him, dies during childbirth (evidently hosts can be male or female). (source: Reservation design document)
 * August: The first successful Born Ghoul. Due to the radioactive chemistry of the ghouls, the first Born Ghoul rapidly grows into adulthood within a month. The Born Ghoul is named Measles due to his large, swollen glands in his jaw. Only three other Born Ghouls will be birthed between this year and 2253. The procreation experiment only has a 2% success rate. Research continues. (source: Reservation design document)

2231

 * Melchior's son is born.


 * Jeremy Maxson, the Brotherhood of Steel High Elder, decides that it was time to expand BOS operations into the east. He sends an expeditionary force composed of five paladins to confirm the location of Peterson's bunker.  The expedition leader, Andrea Brixley, discovers the bunker, disables its security, and opens it for habitation.  For over a decade she and her fellow paladins explore the east and forge relationships with many of the tribes that inhabit the area.

2232

 * Leonard Boyarsky is exiled from Vault City

2235

 * The Enclave experiments on deathclaws, attempting to create special fighting units for waging war in hostile environments.
 * While there had already been a small number of ghouls in Gecko at this time, more come to the area, and the town of Gecko is formed. The new influx of ghouls bring scavenged technology and know-how, and the power plant in Gecko becomes operational later that year. Vault City looks upon their new neighbors with growing concern.

2236

 * July	20: Enclave scouts discover the remains of the Mariposa Military Base and find it partially destroyed.
 * July-August: Enclave scientists and chemical corps scour the remains of Mariposa, while assault squads comb the desert for slaves they can use to mine the military base and get to the Vats. One of the squads includes soldier Frank Horrigan, 25 at the time, recently removed from duty on the President's secret service to take some RNR time in the wastes after some undocumented psychotic blunder or another.
 * August: Melchior is captured by an Enclave patrol and becomes part of the slave mining force at the Military Base.
 * September: Enclave construction crews and super mutant slaves begin excavations. They uncover the FEV virus, and mutations begin to occur in the human workers. Frank Horrigan comes into contact with the FEV and is sent to the Enclave labs for study.
 * October: Melchior begins to mutate... but keeps his intelligence and cunning in the wake of the transformation, making him pretty smart for a super mutant. Realizing that the Enclave will kill the super mutants after they get the FEV data, he begins to use his magician talents to secret away weapons for the mutants to defend themselves when the Enclave decides to dispense with them.
 * 2236-2238: Horrigan gradually mutates from exposure to FEV, gaining the physique and slow, stupid, single-mindedness of a super mutant. He is kept heavily sedated, operated on, and studied. He is conscious for only brief periods at a time, then quickly sedated after the bloodshed is over.

2237

 * January: Enclave, having obtained the FEV data, abandons the Military Base site after more mutations occur, causing 2nd Generation Super Mutants to arise - the Enclave leaves a single squad behind to wipe out the super mutants, but the mutants, using armaments they have cached in the base during excavation, reduce the squad to ashes after suffering heavy casualties. The remaining 1st and 2nd Generation super mutant slaves decide to remain in the Base, and the group forms a new community.

2238

 * Harold arrives in Gecko, and (with a lot of shaking of his head) he does his best to help the ghouls with the running of the Nuclear Power Plant.

2239

 * January	23:	Tests begin to run dry on Frank Horrigan. It is suggested that he be used as a field operative and be used in tests in the wasteland against local populations.
 * March	27:	Frank Horrigan is manufactured for his new role. A new version of Power Armor is built to accommodate his mass, and he is sealed inside. After a few horrifically successful field tests, Horrigan becomes the Enclave's solution to numerous sticky problems.

2240

 * Thomas Moore comes to Vault City and becomes a Citizen (mentioned in a conversation with First Citizen Lynette)

2241

 * The worst dry season in many years causes a drought in the Northern California area, hurting crops and brahmin in both Arroyo and Modoc.
 * January:		The first samples of Jet begin to arrive in Redding, courtesy of the Mordino family.
 * February:		Vault City rejects offers of an alliance with both the Bishop family of New Reno and NCR.
 * March:		Raider attacks on caravans to Vault City begin.
 * July	25, 08:24: Fallout 2 Begins: Chosen One begins his mystic test, descending into the Temple of Trials.
 * July	27: Chosen One leaves Arroyo in search of the GECK.
 * September: Chosen One meets Frank Horrigan with two enclave soldiers for the first time in the desert, as an random encounter, meanwhile exterminating some unidentified farmers refusing to tell some unknown secret. He spots the Chosen One and gestures the Chosen One to leave, because it is none of the Chosen One's buisness. They leave.
 * October 23: Hakunin appears to Chosen One in his dream for the first time (either that, or the Chosen One took too many drugs that night).

2242

 * January 21: Hakunin appears to the Chosen One in his dream for the second time
 * April 21: Hakunin appears to the Chosen One in his dream for the third time, and Chosen One is getting annoyed by this.
 * May	15: Enclave sends a coded sequence to Vault 13, activating its central computer and declaring that is time to leave the Vault. Martin Frobisher gathers the Vault dwellers together for tutorial movie.
 * May	16: Less than a day later, Vault 13 is opened, only to be greeted by two Enclave verti-assault squads. The squads kill three of the citizens who were "resisting capture," and storm the Vault, kidnapping all the inhabitants.
 * May	17: Enclave animal handlers drop a Deathclaw unit into Vault 13 from a safe distance to kill anyone investigating the Vault and cloak the Enclave's presence. Other Deathclaws are sent into the desert surrounding Vault 13 to check for any escapees or witnesses.
 * July 20: Arroyo is attacked by Enclave soldiers, and the villagers are enslaved and brought to the Oil Rig.
 * Fall:		Fallout 2 Ends: The Chosen One enters the Enclave using the damaged tanker and destroys the Poseidon oil platform, killing the President of the United States and ending the Enclave's plans for world domination.
 * Inspired by the example set by the Chosen One, Marcus eventually travels across the great mountains to the east, searching for other refugees from the Master's army.


 * Nuclear Nellie, a howitzer style gun capable of firing a nuclear shell, is made functional at the Reservation. A “dirty�? shell is created to use on Willem’s enemies. However, since the heavy lift able is broken, there is no way to bring the gun from its underground lair. (source: Reservation design document)
 * Jeremy Maxson renames Peterson's bunker after his famous ancestor, Roger Maxson. He then sends a full compliment of troops for occupation.  Andrea Brixley is promoted to Elder, given the rank of General, and placed in charge.  The remainder of her exploratory team is given the title of Elder as well.  It was not long afterward that the war with the New California Republic is announced.

2243

 * Myron died less than a year after the defeat of the Enclave, stabbed by a Jet addict while drinking in the Den. His discovery of Jet was quickly forgotten, and now there is no one who remembers his name.
 * The Wright Family turns from criminal activity to legitimate pursuits. Several schools and churches were established in New Reno, along with a law enforcement body that crippled the influence of the families.
 * Note: This is one of the possible endings of Fallout 2 and it is not known yet if it will come true or not.

2249

 * A lucrative slave trade is established at the Reservation with Caesar’s Legions and the Blackfoot tribe. (source: Reservation design document)
 * Back in the West, "the 370 Raid" occurs. Foreman Porter's group try to rob the NCR Storehouse and Bank to sieze the payroll to pay his men. They were caught by NCR and ended up "blowing" the vault and totally ruining the future ability to settle the payment problems in the area (exact circumstances are unknown, Porter's group didn't actually steal the money, but it's gone nonetheless). Captured, sold out by Spineless Stan Lowery (a man in the 370 team who didn't participate in the raid because he was afraid they'd be killed trying). Porter still feels guilty about his role in the collapse of the eastern part of NCR, since his actions blew any chance of the economy stabilizing. Porter and his gang arrested and imprisoned in Black Canyon. (source: Denver design document)

2250

 * Member's from Porter's team escape many times, though there's nowhere to run and they are caught or surrender. At least once escape was planned by NCR Lt. Gov Dodge (Dodge hoped that Porter will loop back to pick up the money from the blown vault, but the escape he arranged only resulted in the 308th getting free, not the 370th, and since Porter didn't steal the vault money anyway he wouldn't know where to find it). (source: Denver design document)

2251

 * Porter's gang (the 370th) and the 308th put on work-release to Denver. The work-release also made more room in the prison for some more dangerous prisoners, as the place was getting overcrowded. The prisoners travel with hobos, dodge tribals, lose about half their numbers (from clashes with slavers, tribals, radscorpions, and other monsters). (source: Denver design document)
 * Belle is born (source: Reservation design document)

2252

 * Porter's gang reaches Denver. Goals: Once there, they were to see about scavenging as many building supplies as possible, establishing a track outpost, and pave the way for NCR occupation. They make camp. (source: Denver design document)
 * Dogs overrun the old salvager camp. (source: Denver design document)

2253

 * October 23: The Prisoner wakes up in the Big Empty (source: Reservation design document)
 * Van Buren begins

2254

 * Glowing ghouls start wandering in from Boulder to Denver (source: Denver design document)
 * Subgroup in Denver discovers the Box and plan to sieze it for themselves. (source: Denver design document)
 * In response some comments from Hardin, Bombay Jack flips out and goes off on his own, seizing a nearby claim and guarding it with explosives. (source: Denver design document)
 * The Prisoner arrives in Denver

2256

 * The child of the Chosen One and either Angela Bishop or Leslie Anne Bishop, aged only thirteen, seizes control of the Bishop Family and leads them to victory over the remaining New Reno families.
 * Note: This is one of the possible endings of Fallout 2 and it is not known yet if it will come true or not.

2316

 * The leader of the Bishop family of New Reno and the son of the Chosen One dies quietly in his sleep never having known his real father.
 * Note: This is one of the possible endings of Fallout 2 and it is not known yet if it will come true or not

Historia