Timeline of the Half-Life universe



"Time, Dr. Freeman? Is it really that time again? It seems as if you only just arrived."

- The G-Man

A timeline of the Half-Life series can be made by gathering known dates. Several retcons having been made since the release of the first game, because it is still being written as of today (2010), and because technological limitations have changed in the intervening time, a complete official Half-Life series timeline will probably never be made, since it could probably make the writers contradict themselves and limit their creativity for possible subsequent episodes. Despite of that, general events can be organized in a chronological order, around known dates.

Between 1945 and 1954
This is the timespan during which Richard Keller was born (according to the Half-Life Playstation 2 manual, he is said to be 55 in Decay, set in 200-).

1950s
It is during this decade that the Black Mesa facilities are probably built, before being purchased and refurbished later by Black Mesa (several Half-Life texture files names contain the word "fifties", suggesting the facility is as old as from the 1950s).

1953


Aperture Science is founded by Cave Johnson, as a shower curtain manufacturer.

1956
The Eisenhower administration signs a contract with Aperture Science to manufacture shower curtains to all branches of the US Army, except the Navy.

From 1957 to 1975
Aperture Science produces mostly shower curtains, eventually making Cave Johnson a billionaire.

Between 1963 and 1972
This is the timespan during which Colette Green is born (she is said to be 37 in Decay, set in 200-).

Between 1969 and 1978
This is the timespan during which Gina Cross is born (she is said to be 31 in Decay, set in 200-).

Between 1973 and 1982
This is the timespan during which Gordon Freeman is born (he is said to be 27 in Half-Life, set in 200-).

1973
This is apparently during that year that the GLaDOS project starts being developed by Aperture Science.

October 17
Cave Johnson receives the answer to a confidential letter titled "Human Enrichment & Testing Initiative, Resource Acquisitions", describing the four types of Test Subjects and their behavior.

Between 1978 and 1987


This is the timespan during which Adrian Shephard is born (he is said to be 22 in Opposing Force, set in 200-).

1978
Cave Johnson is exposed to mercury while secretly developing a dangerous mercury-injected rubber sheeting from which he plans to manufacture seven deadly shower curtains to be given as gifts to each member of the House Naval Appropriations committee, likely because the decision of the Navy not getting its shower curtains from Aperture depended on that committee, and Johnson probably held a grudge against them for that.

1979
Both of Cave Johnson's kidneys fail. Brain damaged, dying, and incapable of realizing his time will come soon, he lays out a three tiered research and development program. The results, he says, will "guarantee the continued success of Aperture Science far into the fast-approaching distant past." What happens to Cave Johnson afterward is unknown, although it is surmised he dies.

1981
Aperture engineers complete the Heimlich Counter-Maneuver and Take-A-Wish Foundation initiatives. The company announces products related to the research in a televised ceremony. These products become immediately wildly unpopular. After a string of very public choking and despondent sick child disasters, senior company officials are summoned before a Senate investigative committee. During these proceedings, an engineer mentions that some progress has been made on Tier 3, the "man-sized ad hoc quantum tunnel through physical space with possible applications as a shower curtain." The committee is quickly permanently recessed, and Aperture is granted an open-ended contract to secretly continue research on the 'Portal' and Heimlich Counter-Maneuver projects.

From 1981 to 1985
Work progresses on the 'Portal' project. Several high ranking Fatah personnel choke to death on lamb chunks despite the intervention of their bodyguards.

1982
This is the oldest known date of the Enrichment Center Test Subject Application being applied to Aperture Science's Test Subjects. It is operated by version 1.07 of GLaDOS, later "1.07a" and "1.09".

A hacker message seen on ApertureScience.com talks about "working on twenty year old equipment". If that message was written around the time of the Portal events, that would set the game roughly in 2002, which would be around the Half-Life events.

1983


For this year, a calendar named "The girls of Aperture Science" is issued by Aperture Science. It is unknown if it was issued each year.

1985
The Aperture Image Format is created.

1986
Word reaches Aperture Science management that Black Mesa is working on a similar portal technology. In response to this news, Aperture Science begins developing GLaDOS. While GLaDOS already existed as far as 1973, this suggests she is developed into a more advanced AI.

1987
This is the most recent date for the Aperture Image Format. At that time, it is maintained by Doug Rattmann.

1996
After a decade spent bringing the disk operating parts of GLaDOS to a state of more or less basic functionality, work begins on the Genetic Lifeform component.

1997
At that time, GLaDOS' version is 3.11.

Several years after 1996
The untested AI of GLaDOS is activated for the first time as one of the planned activities on Aperture's first annual bring-your-daughter-to-work day.

January 6
This is the issue date of Adrian Shephard's soldier's handbook as seen in the Blue Shift manual, although the original manual only states "November 1", without a year.

200-
This is the decade during which the Half-Life events occur.

Notes about the Half-Life events date




Although many dates are given in several sources, the precise date for the Black Mesa Incident is never given. Deduction however tend to point at May 16, 200-.


 * Year clue: "200-" is the only known year directly referring to the Half-Life events. It first appeared in the Half-Life instruction manual.


 * Year, month and day clues: although "200-" could refer to any date from 2000 to 2009, a note by series' writer Marc Laidlaw seen in Raising the Bar features "March 31, 2003", and a time, "4:33 p.m.". Although it has not been confirmed by Valve, it is possible that the Half-Life events originally were to start on March 31, 2003 and that the team decided to remove it to allow more flexibility.


 * Month and day clues: several entries from Adrian Shephard's journal are given in the Opposing Force instruction manual, written by Gearbox writers. March is used, corroborating the Raising the Bar date. Shephard says in his last journal entry, written on March 15, "We were told today to be ready in case it happens tomorrow.". It would therefore seem that the events occur on March 16.


 * Month and day clues: as seen in the Half-Life PlayStation 2 instruction manual, it seems that the Gearbox writers later replaced March by May as a retcon and set several in-game events on May 16: Gordon Freeman's training seen in Half-Life is said to be May 16 early in the morning and Barney's arrival at Sector C is also said to be May 16. Therefore May 16 appears to be the best day for the incident, and consequently March from Shephard's journal should be replaced by May, for consistency.


 * Year and day clues: a calendar with the "Blue Marble" photo is also seen at least in the Half-Life chapter Office Complex, in the Opposing Force chapter Welcome to Black Mesa, in the Blue Shift chapters Insecurity and Captive Freight and in the Decay chapter Domestic Violence, always showing the December page. December 8 being shown to start on a Monday, it should be either 2003 or 2008 (or 1997, around the year the texture file was made), even though the 31st day is missing. Even if this instance is the only one using December, it uses the same year (2003) seen in Raising the Bar.

May 3
From Shephard's journal entries (originally March; see above): "Another typically hellish day at base camp... I'll be glad when this is over and I can finally can get assigned a mission. There has been this really weird civie spotted at the base. Rumor is he's from some government branch looking to recruit; others say he's with some secret research group. I would jump at the chance to join. It would be cool just for the change and the adventure."

May 5


Gordon Freeman receives a letter from the Black Mesa Office of the Administrator's LM confirming he is hired.

May 7
From Shephard's journal entries (originally March; see above): "I finally saw the government guy today. I am not sure he is a g-man, but he was wearing a really uptight suit and carrying a briefcase. He looked more like a lawyer or insurance agent to me. I did notice him checking me out. Several times throughout the day I spotted him just watching me during training. I wonder what he's up to..."

May 9
From Shephard's journal entries (originally March; see above): "For weeks our drills have been the same crap day after day. Today we assemble for the morning run and our drill instructor tells us we have one week to become experts at indoor strategic combat. We will be spending every day this week at the combat simulation facility. As far as I know this a specialized training not taught in boot camp. What I want to know is if this is to test our ability to adapt or if we are being readied for a specific mission? Time will tell..."

May 11
Colette Green receives a letter from the Black Mesa Office of the Administrator's LM saying that sample GG-3883 will replace sample EP-0021.

Before May 12
Barney Calhoun is performing a retinal scan and has his salary increased. His two-day Security Guard Training is scheduled.

May 12
From Shephard's journal entries (originally March; see above): "The rumors have been flying since our indoor combat training began. Most of my peers are convinced that we are being primed for a mission. No one can agree on what the mission is. I have heard the name Black Mesa Facility thrown around a lot, but I have no information about the place. The rumors are that some top-secret research is going on there. Doesn't sound too exciting to me..."

08:00
First day of Barney Calhoun's Security Guard Training under Miller's Holographic Instructor counterpart, in Sector A Training Facility. This is the Blue Shift Hazard Course.

May 13
Second day of Barney Calhoun's Security Guard Training.

10:30


Walter Bennet is being instructed by Gina Cross for an Anti-Mass Spectrometer Overload Simulation.

19:00
Colette Green was to be instructed by Isaac Kleiner for an Anomalous Materials Handling, but it was postponed to June.

May 15

 * Gordon Freeman's first day at Black Mesa.


 * Barney Calhoun is reassigned to a Blue Shift agreement and reports at Area 3 Medium Security Facilities.


 * From Shephard's journal entries (originally March; see above): "The rumor has been confirmed. We are being trained for a mission at the Black Mesa Facility. All I know is that the place is being used by scientists who are doing some kind of new research. I can't imagine what we would be needed for. We were told today to be ready in case it happens tomorrow. I don't know what "it" is, but the whole thing is a little strange. I kind of hope it doesn't happen; the mission doesn't seem to have much excitement potential. I'd rather hold out for something with more likelihood of combat."

20:30
Gina Cross is being instructed by Richard Keller for a Mark V HEV Suit Prototype Testing.

07:30
Gordon Freeman is being instructed by Gina Cross' hologram counterpart for an HEV Suit Training in Sector A. This is Half-Life's Hazard Course.

08:30
Several system crashes occur around Black Mesa (the security guard in the Sector C lobby states he has had a system crash "about 20 minutes ago").

8:42
Barney Calhoun starts his tram ride from the Area 8 Topside Dormitories at Black Mesa. The letter regarding his Blue Shift reassignment states he is to be there at 08:00; therefore he is late.

8:47
After his HEV Suit Training, Gordon Freeman starts his tram ride from Level 3 Dormitories at Black Mesa. He is 30 minutes late.

Remainder of the day



 * The Black Mesa Incident. Around 9:00, Freeman conducts an experiment on sample GG-3883 in Sector C's Anti-Mass Spectrometer. The experiment goes wrong and triggers a Resonance Cascade, teleporting Xen creatures to Earth.


 * Freeman, Calhoun, Green and Cross fight their way through the facility.


 * Overnight, Freeman successfully launches the rocket.

19:00
As heard during the tram ride at the start of Half-Life, the Black Mesa Hazard Course Decathlon was to start in the Level 3 facility. This never happened due to the incident.

May 17

 * Early in the morning, Gina Cross and Colette Green are able to perform a resonance reversal. Their fate, along with Keller's and Rosenberg's, are unknown.


 * Barney Calhoun successfully escapes Black Mesa with Stanley Rosenberg, Simmons and Walter Bennet.


 * Adrian Shephard and his squad are attacked by Alien Aircrafts and their Osprey crashes. As Gordon Freeman fights his way across the surface towards the Lambda Complex, Shephard is left behind (this matches the message addressed to Cooper). Race X creatures appear sometime later.


 * Freeman defeats the Nihilanth and frees the Vortigaunts. He is then placed in stasis by the G-Man.


 * Black Mesa is destroyed by an atomic bomb. Shephard is also placed in stasis by the G-Man.

08:00
Colette Green was to conduct a Public Relations Tour. This never happened due to the incident.

16:30
Otis Laurey was to be instructed by the Miller's holographic instructor counterpart for a Security Guard Training, but he apparently postponed and Cross suggests to Green to ask Barney to replace him. This never happened due to the incident.

After 200-
Portal Storms continue and Xen creatures continue to be teleported onto Earth. The governments and United Nations provide the protection centers located in major cities worldwide.

The Combine launches an assault on Earth. Earth governments and the United Nations enter into war against them. The Seven Hour War occurs. Finally, Earth surrenders to the Combine and Wallace Breen, former Black Mesa administrator, is appointed Earth Administrator.

c. 20 years after 200-



 * Unknown time before Gordon Freeman's awakening: Isaac Kleiner and Eli Vance each build in their respective labs a teleport not needing a Xen relay, with the aid of Alyx Vance and Judith Mossman, among others. When tested on a cat, it kills it. They then continue working on it until Freeman's arrival.


 * Around a year prior Gordon Freeman's awakening: this is the last time Alyx Vance drives Highway 17, as said by her in the radio transmission at Shorepoint Base.


 * Around 20 years after the Black Mesa Incident, Gordon Freeman is awakened by the G-Man after a long period of stasis. He explores City 17, encounters the Resistance and some of his former Black Mesa colleagues. Soon after he joins their cause in the war against the Combine and triggers the uprising of City 17 and his surroundings, becoming the primary target to the Combine. After destroying the Citadel's dark fusion reactor and defeating Breen, Gordon is called into stasis by the G-Man a second time.


 * Soon after he is freed from stasis by a group of Vortigaunts. Gordon and Alyx flee City 17 and proceed to the Resistance base White Forest, located in the Outlands.


 * The Resistance reverses the Combine Superportal, inflicting a consequent blow to the Combine plans, but unfortunately Resistance leader Eli Vance is killed by an Advisor at White Forest.

c. "hundreds of years" after Portal
Portal 2 is sent "hundreds of years" after Portal, but when Portal is set is yet unknown.


 * "Hundreds of years" after GLaDOS' partial destruction, the Personality Cores have taken over the Aperture Laboratories, while GLaDOS still oversees tests in the Test Chambers. The facility is partially destroyed, featuring overgrown areas interspersed with new Test Chambers.


 * Chell is awoken from stasis by Wheatley and is once again forced to navigate Test Chambers utilizing the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, with Wheatley guiding her through. Chell and Wheatley eventually come across GLaDOS, who although in a state of disrepair, is still alive.