The Fallout history marketing picture is a blurb created by Leonard Boyarsky or Jason Anderson, providing a summary of Fallout background story for marketing purposes during E3 1996. It is a six-paragraph summary accompanied by three promotional images (Necropolis sewers, a still from the Cathedral destruction cinematic, and an action shot of the player character attacking a radscorpion with a flamer), while at the E3 interactive demo village.
A digital copy was released again as part of Fallout Bible 1 on January 15, 2002.
Content[]
The United Nations failed in 2052 as the planet's natural resources dried up, causing many smaller nations to go financially bankrupt and fail. Europe and the Middle East were cast into a long, drawn out war over the few remaining productive oil fields.
In late 2053, the United States closed its borders when a new super plague is discovered and when a terrorist nuclear weapon destroys Tel Aviv. In early 2054, the US responds by creating Project Safehouse. This project, financed by junk bonds, is responsible for creating large underground survival shelters, commonly known as Vaults. This project is not completed when it runs out of money, nine years later.
In 2060, the middle eastern oil fields run dry, ending the European war.
In the winter of 2066, China attacks Alaska over what could be the last drops of oil in the world. The US responds with force, but it will be ten years before the conflict is over. In a desperate maneuver, both superpowers invade neighboring countries in an effort to bolster their dwindling resources. The US annexation of Canada is concluded by late 2076. Canadian timber provides fuel for US military needs, and Alaska is reclaimed by early 2077.
In the early morning hours of Saturday, October 23, 2077 the sky was filled with nuclear missiles. No one knows who started the war, but after two hours of nuclear devastation, no one cared.
Because of frequent false alarms, few made it to the Vaults when the final alarm sounded. Most people were trapped outside the closing Vault doors.