TEXT: Before the Dark Years 
  The timeline of the Gamma World® game universe 
  by James Ward and Roger Moore - Dragon Magazine Aug. 1984 
   
  One of the most popular topics for debate among pure strain humans and mutants alike centers 
  around the question: What was the world like before it blew up? Scholars and adventurers of 
  nearly every Cryptic Alliance have searched the world for clues to the history of the "Gamma 
  World" (as inhabitants of Earth are prone to call it in the middle of the 25th century). The results 
  are often confusing and contradictory, deepening the mysteries of the past. 
  Careful research has brought to light the following information on the years before the old world 
  ended and the Gamma World began. It is possible that adventurers might recover some or all of 
  this material as they explore the ruins of the Ancients or communicate with living beings or 
  intelligent computers who might have survived the wars. 
  Obviously, this information is of great use in establishing a consistent game campaign. The GM, 
  however, should feel free to alter, delete, or add to this timeline if she wishes, to create her own 
  personalized game world. Contradictory information may be given to player characters during a 
  campaign; data from the Shadow Years and after is especially questionable in accuracy. 
  1945  
  First use of atomic weapons in warfare  
  1957  
  Sputnik I, the first artificial earth satelite, launched  
  1961  
  First manned spacecraft, Vostok I, launched  
  1969  
  First manned lunar landing made by Apollo XXI spacecraft  
  1981  
  American space shuttle service begins earth orbit  
  1988-1990  
  World War III, world-wide general conflict between East and West, 
  limited nuclear weapons exchange before ceasefire  
  1999  
  First self-aware "think tank"computer activated  
  2002  
  First manned spaceflights to Mars launched (Ares I and II); primary base 
  established at Mariner Valley  
  2003-2021  
  Ecosystem collapse in Atlantic and Pacific oceans; world-wide food and 
  water shortages, severe civil disturbances; collapse of Japanese and 
  European economies  
  
  2010  
  American, Chinese, Indian and Soviet international conferences lead to 
  establisment of the First World Council  
  2013  
  Rise of the first commercial blocks to control countries  
  2019  
  First commercial spaceport opens (First Texan Space Complex)  
  2020  
  First Earth-orbital commercial space factory assembled  
  2034  
  American and Canadian governments unify and form United North 
  America  
  2046  
  Orbital city Atlantis becomes first politically independent space colony; 
  moves to Martian orbit  
  2047  
  Columbus, Magellan, and Marco Polo unmanned, interstellar probes 
  launched from Earth orbit  
  2050  
  Brazil establishes SAEU (Unified South American government)  
  2061  
  Columbus reaches Alpha Centari and maps local planetary system  
  2066  
  Establishment of Mount Olympus and Mount Arsia colonies on Mars  
  2072  
  Magellan reaches Tau Ceti; discovers terraformable planet (Gaea)  
  2076  
  All Martian colonies gain political independence through treaties; 
  Federation of Mars established  
  2077  
  SAEU collapses after civil war  
  2078  
  Mutiny aboard International Space Station One (first true space war), 
  arrest and execution of mutineers  
  2087-2089  
  First Venerean terraforming project attempted, but fails  
  2095  
  Lunar population reaches 10,000at Tycho Center moonbase  
  2100  
  Genesis project (re-terraforming of Earth's environment) completed  
  2101  
  Terraforming of larger asteroids begins  
  2104  
  The Three Suns the first manned, interstellar spacecraft launched toward 
  the Alpha Centauri system  
  2104-2111  
  Widespread civil disorders in Asia lead to formation of the Asian 
  Coalition; collapse of the Soviet Union  
  2109  
  Thorium fusion propulsion system perfected and goes into system-wide 
  use  
  2120  
  Three Suns arrive at Alpha Centauri, establishes first extra-solar human 
  colonies at Gagarin, Armstrong, Greenwood and Sorokin; Second 
  Venerean terrforming project attempted, project crew lost in satellite 
  collision  
  2126  
  Start of international conferences to develop a world government  
  2131  
  Sorokin colony abandoned  
  2132  
  The Humanity launched for Tau Ceti  
  
  2138  
  Artificial gravity control achieved  
  2144  
  Martian world population reaches 10,000 (combined colonies)  
  2145  
  World Union established; all national governments subordinated to 
  World Union General Council in London; uniform currency, the Domar, 
  established worldwide  
  2163  
  Construction of Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards completed  
  2182  
  Autonomists Society established, a terrorist organization promoting 
  world-wide democratic anarchy  
  2200-2300  
  General dates for the "Great Migration" of manned and unmanned 
  interstellar spacecraft to worlds within a 10-parsec radius of Sol; 28 
  colonizations missions and 196 exploratory missions dispatched  
  2236  
  IMT (instantaneous mass transporter) tested and developed  
  2261  
  Albuquerque accident kills 5 million people in nuclear explosion  
  2266  
  Breakup of WU General Council; United America, Asian Coalition, 
  India, and other countries develop divergent policies  
  2277  
  The Warden, the largest interstellar colony ship ever built, laid down 
  at the Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards by the United Western Starship 
  Cartel program  
  2282  
  League of Free Men established, promoting the rise of pro-world-
  government factions, terrorism increases worldwide  
  2288  
  Warden completed; trials and loading begin for 45-year voyage to Xi 
  Ursae Majoris double-star system  
  2289  
  Work on giant starship Morden begins at Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards  
  2290  
  Warden leaves Solar system; 1.55 million human colonists and crew 
  aboard  
  2302  
  Star Voyager II returns on robot drive with crew infected by "Canopus 
  Plague"; ship destroyed after infecting crew of Earth-orbital spaceport  
  2302-2309  
  Several major outbreaks of "Canopus Plague" throughout Solar system; 
  Iapetus sealed off and destroyed  
  2309-2322  
  "The Shadow Years", so called because of the world-wide destruction of 
  records and archives through terrorist action and governement supported 
  sabotage  
  2309  
  (Sept 16) Start of Social Wars; initial collapse of Earth civilization 
  begins; rioting and terrorism spread; League of Free Men and 
  Autonomists are major instigators of world-wide conflict  
  2314  
  Social Wars expand into space with terrorist strikes against Earth-orbital 
  colonies, Tycho Center, and other spaceports throughout the Solar 
  system  
  
  2321  
  Ecological warfare causes destruction of ocean plankton and collapse of 
  all coastal economies; introduction of nuclear and dimension-warp 
  warfare into conflict  
  2321  
  Fragmentary transmissions from the Warden received; ship 
  apparently entered radiation cloud and crew was lost  
  2322  
  (April 12) "The Ultimatum", the first appearance of The Apocalypse, a 
  radical group ordering an immediate cease-fire in world-wide conflict  
  2322  
  (April 17) Radiation strike made against all major national capitols by 
  The Apocalypse; retaliatory attacks reduce Earth's civilization to ruins in 
  one week; system-wide trade, transportation, and economic collapse  
  2322  
  (May 23) Major strikes successfully disable space fleets around Jupiter 
  and Earth; two of Saturn's moons are vaporized  
  From here on in, only fragmentary historical records can be found. Most pieces of data were 
  obtained from friendly cybernetic installations and think tanks which were able to link up with 
  the remains of hidden libraries, orbital installations, or Earth/space communications systems. 
  All further information is considered questionable at best and can only rarely be confirmed.  
  2322  
  Social Wars produce major world-wide volcanic and siesmic activity; 
  collapse of polar ice-caps; world-wide flooding; ozone layer collapse 
  with heightened exposure to ultra-violet and solar radiation; extreme 
  extinctions and mutations throughout biosystems of Earth  
  2322  
  Processed-ice asteroid (guidance circuits sabotaged by terrorists) strikes 
  Mars; eight year duststorm and climatic disruption result; all colonies on 
  Mars are isolated Federation charter suspended for duration  
  2323-2340  
  Rise of every known Cryptic Alliance takes place from the intact cities 
  and power stations of Earth  
  2325-2330  
  Satellite Wars change the technological levels of all terra-formed 
  asteroids and moons of all Solar planets  
  2330-2340  
  Last known interstellar missions flee Solar system from asteroidal and 
  outer satellite colonies; Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards abandoned; all outer 
  colonies except Saturn World Fusion shut down; Mercury mining 
  colonies abandoned and apparently die out  
  2331  
  Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards assume control of their own programs and 
  generate robotic "life"  
  2336-2340  
  Occasional reports from space communications systems of 
  transmissions from the Warden; status unknown  
  2380  
  Saturn World Fusion ceases all Earth-directed transmissions; fate 
  unknown  
  2381  
  Severe world-wide earthquakes; explosive vulcanism around Pacific 
  basin  
  2381-2388  
  "Years Without Summer", blackouts and prolonged winters common  
  
  2385  
  Ultrawave transmissions from Trans-Plutonian Spaceyards report open 
  warfare between cybernetic installation there and the presumably 
  automated starship Morden; further transmissions cannot be interpreted 
  and may be in code  
  2399  
  Short period of lasercom contact with Deimos Base at Mars; PCI at 
  Deimos noted to be insane; no information of Martian colonies  
  2420  
  Strange transmissions picked up from Warden's last known position  
  2450  
  The present  
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Metamorphosis Alpha/Magazine Articles/Rewritten Dragon Articles/Gamma World Timeline (Dragon #88).pdf