Fallout: Lore

Means To An End

"We stand on the brink of total war, and I am afraid. For myself, for my wife, for my infant son, because if my time in the army taught me one thing: it's that war, war never changes." — Nate

Reaching the Fallout
     Years after the Second World War, around 2050, the world's resources started to run out. Shortages of oil and fossil fuels plagued the continents, and began the Resource Wars. Countries raced to find and keep natural resources to ensure the continuation of their own technologies. Military action was taken to claim the petroleum around the world. The United Nations tried to keep the peace, but with little success, as they were falling victim to energy shortages as well.
     Not long after, the United Nations disbanded. Countries refused to trade with their former allies, and many invaded each other's territories. China invaded Alaska in 2066, in pursuit of claiming the remaining oil reserves. The United States annexed Canada in 2076 to ensure Canadian support for the defense of the Alaskan front against the Chinese. The U.S. also took strict actions against its citizens during this time to contain wartime rioting.
     The U.S. launched its own invasion in 2074. They marched on the Chinese mainland to take the heat off of the Alaskan front. Their plan was successful, driving the Chinese off of American soil completely in January 2077. Around the same time, other countries who were fighting with each other eventually went bankrupt from their wartime efforts. Their economies collapsed due to less resources and little trade. Soon it would all end, but at everyone's expense. How? By the Great War of 2077.
     With many countries losing money, losing land, and losing war, they resorted to one last option. Nuclear weapons. Every country with the capability of making nuclear bombs did so. They stocked up on the dooming weapons, and waited for the perfect time to strike. Then, on October 23rd, nuclear bombs fell from the sky and obliterated the United States, along with every other country hit. The world that day ended.
     No one knows who dropped the first bomb. Some say China did, some say the U.S. did and China retaliated, and some even speculate that Vault Tec themselves dropped first to fulfill their own prophecy of total atomic annihilation. The nuclear war was said to last a total of two deviating hours; it was so destructive that it changed the world's climate, made new mountains ranges while destroying old ones, poisoned the earth's water sources, and reshaped life itself. Civilizations all around the globe fell and were no more. Billions upon billions died in the catastrophe; those who survived were either horribly distorted, died later on due to radiation poisoning, or were preserved in underground vaults.
     As for the old world, it ended. It died along with its people, it's environment, and its ways of life. The only way it's remembered is through the memories of the survivors, and the stories they tell. All that's left to do now is start life anew. Rebuild out of what was lost. Could the world ever go back to the way it once was? Then again, should it? It's up for the survivors and their descendants to decide. May they have the wisdom to make better decisions, or history will not fail to repeat itself. And let's hope it never repeats itself.

When Did The World End?
     So, when did the bombs fall? In the night while people were sleeping? At dawn, when people first woke? Although no one is too certain, there are clues to suggest what times major cities were hit.
     In the Boston Commonwealth, one known as the Sole Survivor, is famed as being one of the last known living people from before the war. They had said that it was morning-time around when bombs started to fall in their area. 9:47 am Eastern Time to be exact. This would mean that Washington D.C. and Boston were hit at 9:47 am, with New York and Pennsylvania being hit at 9:42 am, just five minutes before.
     This also leads many to believe that the West Coast was hit around 6:30 through 6:40 am, being before sunrise. It's unsure whether America was the first country to be bombed, or if another country was hit first. More than likely, either the U.S. or China was first to be struck by nukes. Making the rest of the world's nations secondary targets. Even if the smaller countries were not directly fired upon, they were still affected because of the catastrophic anomalies the bombs caused in the atmosphere.
     It changed the climate and contaminated almost all water on earth. Not only that, but due to the radiation released into the atmosphere, most wildlife and plantlife were mutated. Mutations caused the size of some animals and insects to increase, have more deadly defense mechanisms, and even changing their anatomy completely.
     The Great War itself lasted two hours, so no telling how many bombs fell in how many places. It could've been enough time that almost every major nation was hit at least once. As chaotic as it must have been though, some people managed to escape death and barricade themselves in the vaults. No matter what times the bombs fell, however, there is no argument against that they did. When they did, whenever that was, they erased that life forever.

Conclusion
     Because of war, because of power-hungry governments and a race to sustain their citizens, they destroyed each other with weapons they thought they could control. Even as the old world died, a new world was born. Life, somehow, survived. It keeps on going. The fallout happened, but it wasn't strong enough to kill off everyone.
     So now, these people, with their hearts of steel and wills of stone, are working to rebuild society. Hope guides them through the thickest of radstorms; as it should. It's up to them to continue even after the foolishness of their predecessors. With that, keep reading. There are plenty of stories to tell.

Official Fallout Lore