"Oh magus, you have begun thy journey. Your master's temple has fallen but his work is not yet finished…" - Orrin Oscar Lutwidge
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This is a chronological timeline of events related to the history of Rapture, based on information revealed in the BioShock game series and There's Something in the Sea. Please note that when specific months and days are not given, they are only known to occur within the specified month or year.
After accepting a job opening from Alan Turing, Charles Milton Porter and his wife Pearl take the Apollo Airways Flight DF-0113 from Philadelphia to London, to begin working with him for the Allies.
Beginning of the Blitz on London. Pearl Porter is killed by the first bombing.
1943
Show List SitS Events
October 5
The German U-boat U-336 captained by Hans Hunger is sunk in the Straits of Denmark south-west of Iceland, in position 62°43'N, 27°17'W, by rockets from a British Hudson aircraft.[4]
1945
August 6
United States drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Sofia Lamb survives the bombing but loses all her friends in the explosion.
August 9
A second atomic bomb is dropped on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.
The ill-fated Baldur vanishes during the second leg of its quixotic attempt to follow the Viking charts. Their last recorded position was in 63°30'N, 27°4'W.[21]
1954
Show List SitS Events
June 22
In a letter, Lutwidge expresses his disappointment that Ryan did not invite him to Rapture.
1955
Show List SitS Events
Reports of a "Phantom Lighthouse" precedes the discovery of six capsized Icelandic fishing vessels.[10]
October 22
The Russian KGB publishes an internal report about various missing persons cases and suspected defection to western democracies.[22]
1956
Undefined Date
Jack is "born" in a lab under the supervision of Tenenbaum and Suchong.[23]
Show List SitS Events
Final radio transmissions from the British vessel Ice Beagle before its disappearance: "That doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be there... do you see them? They're watching us!".[24]
After discovering the city of Rapture by accident, a deep sea explorer is nicknamed 'Johnny Topside' by the city's populace and becomes something of a celebrity.
Lutwidge writes a letter to the "Red Pawn" stating "the game is at an end."
July 28
Auger Detection writes a letter to Celeste about the continued investigation of Lutwidge and his association with an accomplice, codenamed "Red Pawn", in forging documents.
September
Lutwidge sends a letter to the Grey Pawn noting his concerns about the Red Pawn.
Lutwidge records numerous audio tapes for "the Seeker," writes symbols on the basement tiles of Warden Yarn, hides the Puzzle Boxes, and disappears.
September 12
Frank Fontaine fakes his own death in a shoot-out with Ryan's forces.[25]
During the riots, the power to Ryan Amusements is cut off and everyone inside is trapped, including Nina Carnegie with a entire third grade class.
Subject Delta is forced to shoot himself by Sofia Lamb while under the influence of a Hypnotize Plasmid.
1959
The Rapture Civil War takes place. Rapture goes from a working society, to a warzone, as Ryan and Atlas fight for control. Both sides actively splice, and many citizens splicing for their own self-defense become unstable. The people who survive and keep their sanity stay barricaded in small holdouts within the city. During this time, Sofia Lamb builds up more followers, who escape from the bloodshed, in Persephone.
A powerful bomb is detonated in Fin De Siècle Boutiques, destroying an entire level of the building.
1960
Undefined Date
Transatlantic Apollo Air Flight DF-0301 (Jack's flight) run by Apollo Air vanishes with six crew persons and eighty-nine passengers; international search efforts fail. U.S. and NATO vessels are sent out to sweep the area.
Lutwidge takes a newspaper clipping from the night of the plane crash, noting that "the radio has fallen silent".
August 3
Auger Detection spies "Orrin O. Lutwidge" in his mid-Manhattan lab/workshop and he is seen working with hypodermic needle and jars, presumably ADAM, EVE or Plasmids, as well as his manuscript.[36]
Sofia Lamb restarts the Protector Program in order to gain ADAM for her plans. Since the Little Sisters left in Rapture have all become too old to gather effectively, young girls are kidnapped from the surface to become new gatherers.
Jeremiah Lynch finds footprints on Lahinch Beach (in Liscannor Bay, Ireland).[41]
February 18
Maura Clune disappears from Liscannor Bay, Co. Clare Ireland.[42]
March
March 9
Jeremiah Lynch sends Mark Meltzer photos of the footprints on the beach.[41]
March 15
Mary Elizabeth Sarsfield disappears from Felixstowe, England, vessel detects red light underwater SW of Felixstowe harbor.[42]
March 18
Jeremiah Lynch writes letter to Mark Meltzer regarding footprints and kidnapping, and sends a picture of the Big Daddy Doll;[40]Something in the Sea Phase One begins (presumably).
March 22
Ulrike Moeller disappears from the town of Wayguard in the Südtondern District of Germany. Interpol in St. Cloud France become involved in the investigation.[42]
April
April 4
Four-year-old Chantal Dumas is kidnapped from St. Lutgardis orphanage in the town of De Haan in West Flanders, Belgium.[42]
April 11
A newspaper reports that Camille Dumas, aged six, is kidnapped in La Rocchelle, France; red lights appear in the harbor.[42]
April 23
Red Glow alarms Spanish fishermen in La Boca, Spain.[42]
April 24
Elena Rodriguez goes missing from La Boca, Spain.[42]
May
May 5
Boatman dodged "ghost sub" on Douro River, Spain.[42]
"Mysterious red light" circles the cruise ship Golden Queen, in the mid-Atlantic.[42]
June 2
Mark Meltzer sends info to Philadelphia Observer.[42]
June 14
The US Coast Guard sights a "fast-moving red light" under the surface near the Virgin Islands.[42]
Undefined date
Jennifer Walker, aged five, is taken from her holiday bungalow in Puerto Rico on a Sunday night.[42]
June 17
Meltzer receives brush-off from the Philadelphia Observer.[42]
June 30
Meltzer sends letter to his representative including his research.[43]
July
Undefined Date
Sightings of a "Ghost Sub" occur in the Florida Keys.[42]
Within 7 days, girls disappear from Savannah, Georgia; Daytona Beach, Florida; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.[42]
July 14
A police report of a further break-in and kidnapping of Melinda Jelenski in Wilmington, North Carolina.[42]
July 15
UNI publishes a report containing information regarding the disappearances.[42]
July 25
A letter addressed to Mark Meltzer from the House of Representatives thanks him for information relating to the mystery submarines; Meltzer is referred to the Office of Naval Intelligence.[42]
Three abductions and red lights seen in Boston, Massachusetts.[42]
September
September 1
Roscoe Inman of ONI sends a letter to Mark Meltzer commending him on the high quality of his research and requesting any additional information.
Undefined date
Meltzer receives a classified information regarding the disappearances from Roscoe Inman.[42]
Various sightings along the New England coast: Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Gloucester, New Hampshire; Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.[42]
September 28
Meltzer sends a letter to Roscoe Inman regarding a planned stake out at St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.
October
October 1
Meltzer takes photos of Big Sister in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.[42]
October 9
Gilbert Alexander records messages to aid anyone who will attempt to end his life once he has gone insane.
Undefined date
The kidnappings and red light sightings begin moving back down the coast again.[44]
October 20
Mark Meltzer stakes out the beach near his wife, Amanda Meltzer's parent's house in Montauk, Long Island.[44]
October 21
Meltzer takes final photo of his daughter, near the home of his wife's parents.
A Big Sister kidnaps Cindy.
October 27
Meltzer questioned in kidnapping of his daughter.[45]
November
November 23
Meltzer types a letter to Roscoe Innman recounting the kidnapping of his daughter and offering to pass on all of his research.
The Monthly Undergrounder publishes articles on Lutwidge and The Vanishing.
Flann McDonagh writes a reply to the Monthly Undergrounder about The Vanishing article and mentioning his missing uncle's connection to Andrew Ryan.
Phil Isidore appears on the “Mid-Nite Ryde” radio talkshow and talks about the Vanishing
June 1
Roscoe Inman calls cautioning that the lunchbox puzzle could just be a prank or trick.
June 2
Meltzer opens puzzle box (presumably).
June 3
Philip Isidore calls and sends a letter about the Utropolis story he sent Meltzer.
June 4
Amanda Meltzer calls, saying that searching for Cindy is hopeless and Mark should contact Dr. Lyman.
June 9
Phil Isidore calls with information on “The Vanishings”.
June 11
Benny Stango calls to harass Meltzer and insinuate that he will have him taken in for questioning.
June 12
Roscoe Inman calls warning Meltzer to keep a low profile because ONI has been prepping files on “potential dissidents”.
June 17
German reporter calls about his article on missing persons which Meltzer requested.
June 25
Roscoe Inman calls regarding the Vanishing and promising internal info.
June 26
Celeste Roget calls asking Meltzer to stop calling her but offering her sympathies.
June 29
Celeste Roget writes Mark a reply letter warning of those who would not want him to continue the search. Mark attends a James Millard Oakes league meeting and is tracked by thuggish followers afterwards.
June 30
Jeremiah Lynch calls expressing his pique at being left out of the investigation and recommending the Frozen Triangle Book.
July
July 1-2
Mark receives the Rapture anthem record.
July 3
Charles Molley, Amanda's lawyer, calls requesting that Mark stop phoning “his client”.
July 8
Celeste Roget sends a telegram to Mark dismissing Lutwidge as insane.
July 9
Meltzer goes to the remains of Lutwidge’s burnt-out lab at his Lower Broadway Suites. He enters and finds the “Seeker” recording. Meltzer is caught by Stango and the local police but is released shortly afterward.
July 10
Mark returns to the warehouse in the early morning and looks under the floorboards as he was clued to do by Lutwidge’s recording. There he finds the Vault-Puzzle.
July 12
Celeste Roget calls saying that Mark should not trust Lutwidge or anything that he may have left behind.
July 13
Mark cracks the first layer of the Vault-Puzzle and finds the message from Lutwidge hinting that he should go to Scarlet Sovereign Imports on the Hudson River.
July 14
Roscoe Inman calls suggesting that Celeste cannot be trusted.
July 15
Celeste Roget calls berating Mark for calling her a liar. Mark Meltzer types up an increasingly distressed and disjointed letter of apology to Celeste but doesn’t send it.
July 16
Amanda Meltzer calls in reply to Mark’s question of whether Cindy had ever owned A Child's Garden of Cyphers.
July 17
Jeremiah Lynch calls commenting on Lutwidge’s “trickster” personality and numerous misleading forgeries.
Undefined date
Meltzer goes to Lutwidge’s Scarlet Sovereign warehouse in the Battery Park area. Mark enters, finds a bathroom with a red door, breaks the “Red Queen’s glass” inside, and finds the Bellman’s Chart, the tape recording alluding to the August 8th beaches, and the Jewelry box puzzle. Meltzer is intercepted by local dock patrolmen but not arrested; The Bellman's Chart appears on wall; Stango calls about warehouse incursion.
July 28
Call from Jeremiah Lynch regarding Lutwidge's connections to Lewis Carroll; Hunting of the Snark appears on right table.
July 29
Call from Inman regarding sea currents.
July 30
Presumably after opening the jewelry puzzle box, Mark types up a list of locations for August 8 and posts on his wall.
July 31
Meltzer draws continents on the Bellman's Chart.
August
Undefined Date
Giant Boulder Saucer Con occurs, Phil Isadore interviews Lex Harlan.
August 3
Call from Phil Isodore regarding California point, Meltzer writes up Working Theories sheet.
August 4
Call from Celeste Roget about Bellman point in Nice, France.
August 6
Ulrich Broder calls about German point, and Tenenbaum.
August 7
Mark Meltzer posts a calender piece for August 8 on the wall. The note says "Tomorrow is the day! Jones Beach, here I come. Hoping my contacts hit the other nine beaches...got a feeling this is BIG."
August 8
On the date alluded to inside the jewelry puzzle box (08/08), bottles of Arcadia Merlot from Worley Winery land on beaches noted on the Bellman's chart, with information from, and invitation to, Rapture.
August 10
Mark returns to his office with posters and a wine bottle from the beach.
August 12
Call form Celeste suggesting that the bottles on the August 8th beaches were planted by Lutwidge.
August 17
Call from Jeremiah Lynch with “the Drunken Sailor” song.
August 18
Roscoe Inman sends Mark requested information about deep sea creatures from the Office of Naval Research.
August 20
Call from Roscoe Inman cajoling Mark for “leaving him out in the cold” and saying he has plenty of resources that Mark should use.(presumably) Mark cracks the next level of the Vault-Puzzle. Mark writes a letter to Celeste telling of his revelations about Rapture being at great depth in the ocean and his fear of repeating her mistakes. He muses on the fact that in her post-August 8th call she talked as if she thought Lutwidge was still alive. Mark wonders if she knows something she isn’t telling him.
August 21
Call from Phil Isadore miffed that Mark hadn’t read the Utropolis story he sent and mentioning his interviews with Lex Harlan. Presumably he sends the tapes of his interviews.
August 24
Call from Celeste suspiciously trying to insist that of course Lutwidge is dead.
Celeste sends Mark a letter saying she was lying about Lutwidge being dead. She tells of the private detectives she employed and her influencing events to have Lutwidge put in an insane asylum.
September
September 1
Call form Lex Harlan telling Mark to stop calling him and saying he last saw Quain in Tollevue Mental Hospital.
September 2
Call from Dr. Lyman refusing to divulge any information about any patients and suggesting Mark visit.
September 3
Mark doesn’t finish a letter to Stango saying he thinks he is losing his grip. Meltzer calls Detective Benny Stango asking to be taken to Tollevue.
Call from Benny Stango telling Mark to stay put and that he is on his way.
Stango and his men force entry into Marks office while Mark is on the phone with Phil Isadore and generally disrupt and search his office while taking him away.
September 4
Mark enters Tollevue.
The doctors diagnose him with depression/anxiety and prescribe him pills.
Mark meets Quain/Lutwidge and is given the Rubix Puzzle.
Mark solves the puzzle and gets Lutwidge/Quain’s diary.
September 5
Mark gets out of Tollevue with many pilfered files regarding Quain.
September 8
Call from Phil Isadore concerned about the ruckus he overheard during Mark’s call.
September 9
Mark writes an apology and reply to Phil’s phone call.
Septmber 10
Call from Detective Stango angry that Mark used his sympathy to manipulate him.
September 14
Call from Dr. Lyman about some of his files going missing while Mark was at Tollevue.
September 16
Call from Lynch skeptical that Lutwidge is alive.
September 23
Call from Celeste Roget offering to have her investigators contact Mark with information on where they last found Lutwidge.
September 25
Call from Dash H. Carmady of Auger Detection offering his information as Celeste’s investigator.
September 28
Call from Celeste Roget mentioning strange harassing phone calls.
September 29
Call from Celeste frantic about a threatening letter she received and refusing to take part in anything more that Mark will do.
Mark receives a similar letter.
September 30
Call from Dash Carmady refusing to give any more help since Celeste is no longer requiring him to.
September 31
Mark figures out the location where Celeste's detectives originally found Lutwidge at (the building originally owned by Andrew Ryan) and goes there. Inside he finds empty ADAM bottles, a bunch of Splicer masks, and many documents left by Lutwidge/Quain.
October
October 2
Mark sends out letters to all of his contacts requesting help in analyzing the box full of masks that he found at Lutwidge’s hideout.
October 3
Call from Roscoe Inman complaining that Mark has been avoiding him and requesting info from him on his research about the Frozen Triangle.
October 5
Call from Benny Stango mocking Meltzer for his filing a complaint about the threatening letters.
October 12
Call from “Northern Telco” about an outstanding phone bill of $58.26 which was not payed for by a bounced check that Mark sent them. Presumably Mark’s bank account has run dry.
October 13
Mark goes to check Lutwidge’s lab again and sees footprints that aren’t his. When he returns to his office he feels that someone has been there while he was gone. He finds a dropped canister of film tape with the label “U.S. 570-68 35mm x 20 ISO100” and infers that it is Government Issue.
October 15
Call from Dash Carmady replying to Mark. He says that Celeste Roget is still missing and he seems willing to collaborate with Mark on searching for the identity of the Red Pawn.
October 16
Call from Detective Stango, skeptical of Carmady’s theory about the Red Pawn being an "Irish conman." He shows increasing hostility towards Mark. Dash Carmady sends Mark documents about a "Jerry Lynchman," seeming to suggest that Jeremiah Lynch is the Red Pawn.
October 19
Call from Amanda Meltzer's attorney, Charles Molley, about his freezing the assets of Amanda and Mark's joint bank account due to it being rapidly depleted in the course of Mark's ongoing investigations.
October 20
Mark types up an increasingly disjointed letter to Phil Isidore telling of his doubts after the revelation that Lynch may be the Red Pawn.
October 21
Call from Phil, trying to encourage Mark to go on with his search. It is exactly one year after Cindy was taken. Mark stays all day at the beach near his office, and when he walks home in the evening he feels like he is being followed. He hears noises during the night which keep him from sleeping, but he doesn't phone the cops. He begins to wonder if he is having "auditory hallucinations".
October 22
Mark takes his morning walk on the beach and sees a giant city sand-castle with cypher letters etched in the sand. He thinks it was made by Cindy with the help of the "red eyed traveler" (the Big Sister.) He takes a picture.
October 23
Call from Detective Stango. He was staking out Mark's place during the night and saw the Big Sister on the beach. He is very shook up and tells Mark "the case is officially closed."
October 26
Call from Jeremiah Lynch. He is going into hiding after Detective Carmady began collaborating with law enforcement in Ireland to try and track him.
October 27
Call from Roscoe Inman. He is being put under pressure by an internal investigation, but he still wants to confer with Mark on certain matters. Mark writes a letter to Phil about attempting to go back to Lutwidge's lab only to find his way blocked by men in suits.
October 28
Mark receives a letter from Phil Isadore saying that he may be too busy to help much anymore, but mentioning some maritime contacts.
October 29
Mark tries to go back to Lutwidge's basement lab in midtown but finds his way blocked by Government agents.
November
November 2
Mark receives photos from Auger Detection. They contain images of cypher symbols marked on the tiles at Lutwidge's basement lab in 1958.
Undefined date
Mark writes a letter to Phil and prepares to head down to Baltimore Maryland to meet Phil's maritime contacts.
November 6
Charles Molley leaves a message on Mark's answering machine in Montauk, mentioning that Mark has liquidated all of his family assets and that he is going to miss his court date.
Undefined Date
Brigid Tenenbaum returns to Rapture to investigate the disappearance of young girls who lived near the sea.
The boat, S.S Nellie Bly captained by Casey Ferrence, ships out at dawn, heading southeast.
Mark solves the metal Vault Puzzle and follows its clues, eventually reaching the Frozen Triangle.
A radio transmission from James Millard Oakes is intercepted requesting immediate evacuation.
The S.S. Nellie Bly arrives at the Phantom Lighthouse.
Mark leaves a letter to Captain Ferrence detailing his plan to leave the ship in an attempt to enter the Phantom Lighthouse. The Nellie Bly is attacked by Splicers. The Icelandic Coast Guard responds to a distress signal from the Nellie Bly.
Phil Isidore leaves a phone message in Mark's office in Montauk promising "the truth will out."
Siren Alley is flooded when Lamb overloads the pumps in Pumping Station 5.
Dionysus park is drained of sea water by Subject Delta after 10 years of being flooded.
Persephone is sunk down into an ocean trench by Lamb's followers.
A 'Lifeboat', containing Subject Delta, Eleanor and Sofia Lamb, rises to the Surface.
Tenenbaum returns with Charles Milton Porter to the surface with a copy of The Thinker's codes in order to synthesize a cure to splicing.
Porter is reverted back to normal by Tenenbaum and visits his wife's grave for a final goodbye.
1980s
The American channel PHE broadcast a two-parts episode of the TV documentary Fact From Myth narrated by Miles Bloom, which covers some of the mysteries surrounding Rapture, presented as a "modern day Atlantis."
↑Tape recording from Phase Three of There's Something in the Sea, "Transmission Intercept Distress Call - English Fishing Boat 13 November 1958 - 01:15"
?[19]
