The REAL Portal/Half-Life Timeline

[The Doctor]

Cave Johnson era
In 1947, Aperture Fixtures was founded by Cave Johnson as a shower curtain manufacturer (The name "Aperture Fixtures" was chosen "to make the curtains appear more hygienic".)

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

From 1957 to 1973, the company produced mostly shower curtains and enjoyed a great deal of success, making Cave Johnson a billionaire. Until 1973, Aperture also used a bulletin board system.

During this time, early work on the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device began; the early version, called the Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device, proved to be too bulky for effective use, while poor surface conductors for the portals often caused mangling or death of the test subjects when they tried to use the portals.Repulsion Gel was first developed around this time as well for use as a diet suppliment. At first only the brightest and best of society were chosen for testing, but after being connected to a string of astronaut disappearances in 1968, Aperture Science focused on recruiting homeless people for testing, starting in 1976. Cave suspects Black Mesa of industrial espionage on the company's products, and blames them for Aperture's bankruptcy. (Propulsion Gel was released around this time too.)

By 1981, Cave Johnson was exposed to toxic Conversion Gel, made out of ground-up moon rocks. He dies of moon-rock poisoning sometime during the 1980s.

Post-Cave Johnson era
In 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. Unsurprisingly, these products become immediately, wildly unpopular. After a string of highly publicized 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. During this time, several high ranking Fatah personnel choke to death on lamb chunks despite the intervention of their bodyguards,showing that the US government has apparently put the Heimlich Counter-Maneuver to work.

As far as 1982, the Enrichment Center, where Test Subjects undergo tests, is functioning, as the Enrichment Center Test Subject Application Process, a 50-question questionnaire destined for applying Test Subject, is already used at that time. It is unknown if the Enrichment Center is already "computer-aided" in 1982, as scientists have been known to supervise Test Subjects from small offices until an undetermined date. The Enrichment Center Test Subject Application is operated by version 1.07 of GLaDOS, later "1.07a" and "1.09".

In 1985, the Aperture Image Format is created.

In 1985, the Aperture Image Format is maintained by Doug Rattmann.

In 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.

In 1996, after a decade spent bringing the Disk Operating System parts of GLaDOS to a state of more or less basic functionality, work begins on the Genetic Lifeform component. During that time, the Aperture Science Red Phone plan is implemented in case GLaDOS appears to become sentient and godlike, requiring an employee to sit by a red phone on a desk in GLaDOS chamber's entrance hall.

In 1997, GLaDOS' version is 3.11.

In 1998, Aperture releases other testing elements, such as the Excursion Funnel, a tractor beam-like funnel made of liquid asbestos, the Thermal Discouragement Beam, a laser to be used with a Weighted Pivot Cube to destroy Sentry Guns and activate some buttons, the Aerial Faith Plate, a catapult plate flinging into the air Test Subjects or any other object upon contact, and the Pneumatic Diversity Vent, a variant of the Vital Apparatus Vent used for distributing objects to Test Chambers.

In May 1998, 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. Upon being activated, she almost instantly becomes self-aware, takes control of the facility, locks everyone inside, floods the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin, but is partially halted when she is quickly fitted with a Morality Core. She then begins a permanent cycle of testing, aimed at beating Black Mesa in the race to develop functioning portal technology. However a few days later, on May 16, the Black Mesa Incident occurs at the Black Mesa Research Facility, allowing aliens to teleport from Xen to Earth, eventually leading to the Combine invasion, stopping GLaDOS' race against Black Mesa.

-GLaDOS control

As seen in the hacker message found on ApertureScience.com referring to the lockdown, the remaining employees continue working, as they are said to be working on twenty year old equipment. The construction of an Enrichment Center is also mentioned, suggesting that the Aperture Laboratories house several of them. The number of Aperture Science employees also likely diminishes, until there are only a few of them left. The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is likely already completed at that time, but it is unknown if it is before or after GLaDOS' activation.

During that period, Portal Storms continue to rage on Earth and spread chaos, eventually leading to the Seven Hour War, resulting in Earth being defeated and subsequently controlled by the Combine. Later, around 20 years after GLaDOS' activation, Gordon Freeman is awakened from his stasis by the G-Man, and arrives in City 17, which greatly disturbs the Combine's grasp on Earth.

Portal era
Some time after GLaDOS' takeover of Aperture Laboratories and shortly after the Combine invasion of Earth, the Enrichment Center seems to be long abandoned, and GLaDOS seems to rule it alone, although other people are apparently still trapped somewhere. The scribblings left by Rattmann also seem rather old, showing that the Enrichment Center has been partially abandoned for some time. A calendar named "The girls of Aperture Science", dated 1983, is also worn-out. Chell is awakened in her Relaxation Vault in the Enrichment Center, and is guided as a Test Subject by GLaDOS, utilizing the completed ASHPD, while the A.I. shows signs of instability. When GLaDOS attempts to murder Chell at the end of her tests, she flees through maintenance areas of the Enrichment Center, and eventually seemingly destroys GLaDOS, before being dragged away inside by the Party Escort Bot.

Before her partial destruction, GLaDOS hints to Chell that things have changed since the last time she left the building, and that what is going on out there will make her wish she were back in here. GLaDOS also says she was the only thing standing between them [GLaDOS and Chell] and an undetermined group, most likely the Combine.

Portal 2 era
Portal 2 is set several years after the events of Portal. During that time Aperture Science as it originally was, likely does not exist anymore, as GLaDOS and the Personality Cores took over the partially destroyed facility, where tests are still performed.


Source: http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/Aperture_Science

[The Doctor]

Originally posted by Pingu:

Originally posted by chriskringel:

Maybe Portal 2 is set ~28 years later than Portal 1. The announcer in Portal 2 in the beginning "you have been in suspension for 9999 [days]", the first hick-up in his computer voice is after 5x9, followed by more 9s of course. However also the track on the soundtrack is called "99999". And that's 28 years (99999 / 28). Just a theory.

A game theory!

(Sorry had too)

Not really theory, more of a fact. Its quite likely to be just a few decades after the events of the first game.

[Khorps]

Originally posted by The Doctor:

Originally posted by Khorps:

nopenopenope

it's set at 999999 because the computer can't count any further, portal 2 is actually set several 10s of thousands of years after portal, if it was set 28 years there'd be no over-grown test chambers and no frames or tiles red from corrosion

untrue. Doesnt take long for simple plants and metal corrosion to take place. a few decades would be plenty.

true, but not on the scale it was in portal 2, also they might'v used corrosion resistant steel, which could easily be taken down in the timespan between portal and portal 2

[Khorps]

Originally posted by The Doctor:

Originally posted by Pingu:

A game theory!

(Sorry had too)

Not really theory, more of a fact. Its quite likely to be just a few decades after the events of the first game.

is it confirmed? there's a quote in Portal 2 The Final Hours mentioning portal 2 taking place 50000 years after portal

[The Doctor]

Originally posted by Khorps:

Originally posted by The Doctor:

Not really theory, more of a fact. Its quite likely to be just a few decades after the events of the first game.

is it confirmed? there's a quote in Portal 2 The Final Hours mentioning portal 2 taking place 50000 years after portal

maybe. It just seemed quite likely and made sense

[Khorps]

Originally posted by The Doctor:

Originally posted by Khorps:

is it confirmed? there's a quote in Portal 2 The Final Hours mentioning portal 2 taking place 50000 years after portal

maybe. It just seemed quite likely and made sense

how?, yes metal can corrode over a few decades but not on the scale it did in portal 2

[The Doctor]

Originally posted by Khorps:

Originally posted by The Doctor:

maybe. It just seemed quite likely and made sense

how?, yes metal can corrode over a few decades but not on the scale it did in portal 2

perhaps not. It really depends too on the types of metal they used. Its never mentioned. That and the explosion GLaDOS created helped with the destruction

[Daddy]

<: let happy faces take over all discussoins! copy and pastes this EVERYWHERE

[Daddy]

Originally posted by Khorps:

Portal 2 was set several thousand years after Portal*

Um... how the heck is that logical? THOUSANDS OF YEARS... think about that, think of sleepng for THOUSANDS OF YEARS, the lonest logical time would be 20 years.

[Daddy]

Originally posted by Khorps:

Originally posted by The Doctor:

Not really theory, more of a fact. Its quite likely to be just a few decades after the events of the first game.

is it confirmed? there's a quote in Portal 2 The Final Hours mentioning portal 2 taking place 50000 years after portal

The final hours of portal potty-2 was dramitizing, why do people take stuff so seriusly these days?


gosh, why, the gods of cheat codes must have been on chells side, and let her noclip away from aperture, at least, that's what happened when i played portal.

[Daddy]

Originally posted by PoopyDooz:

the reference to black mesa in the song was hilarious
"Maybe you'll find someone to help you. Maybe Black Mesa? that was a joke! ha ha! fat chance!"

Whats so funny bout that bwoy?

[Daddy]

Originally posted by Pingu:

Originally posted by chriskringel:

Maybe Portal 2 is set ~28 years later than Portal 1. The announcer in Portal 2 in the beginning "you have been in suspension for 9999 [days]", the first hick-up in his computer voice is after 5x9, followed by more 9s of course. However also the track on the soundtrack is called "99999". And that's 28 years (99999 / 28). Just a theory.

A game theory!

(Sorry had too)

game theory is a dumb butt.

[Daddy]

lmao

[The Doctor]

Originally posted by Superstench123:

lmao

well.... Your that annoying forum spammer that the gods sent right? xD

[Brainiac]

Originally posted by Superstench123:

Originally posted by PoopyDooz:

the reference to black mesa in the song was hilarious
"Maybe you'll find someone to help you. Maybe Black Mesa? that was a joke! ha ha! fat chance!"

Whats so funny bout that bwoy?

irony

[Brainiac]

Originally posted by Superstench123:

Originally posted by Pingu:

A game theory!

(Sorry had too)

game theory is a dumb butt.

Game theory is a correct butt