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This page details the timeline of Night Vale and Desert Bluffs, using as many references to Welcome to Night Vale episodes as possible.

Ancient Times[]

  • Before Time Began
    • The gods are born in the mudwomb, a place with no action or intention, waiting for the world to begin[1].
  • Ages Before First Humans Appeared[1]
    • The Woman from Italy dips her hand in the stars, running her finger through the great glowing coils of the universe.
    • The Distant Prince explores every far cave and hole, all of the dark places.
    • The Glow Cloud changes colors and drops animals, long before the first animals were born.
    • Huntokar sits cross-legged in a lake for 10,000 years.

Early history[]

  • The Mesozoic Era
    • The area that will eventually house Night Vale is inhabited by a flock of pteranodons. Some of them travel through a rift in time to modern-day Night Vale, though all but one are safely returned[2]. 252.2 million years ago when the world was still Pangea.
  • 4000 BC
    • Earliest human settlement of Night Vale. Some cave paintings remain of settlements and the "inhuman, shimmering shapes that never came closer or went farther away" and watched these ancient settlers from far away (according to Cecil). The original discoverer of the cave paintings tried to power wash them off the falls, as for religious reasons he did not believe in the past.[3]
    • Huntokar chooses Night Vale as her domain.
  • Centuries before 2013, Night Vale Community Radio is founded by "mysterious, unseen forces."[4]

18th century[]

  • Before 1745
    • For his 15th birthday, Cecil Gershwin Palmer is gifted a microphone set, which he uses to record pastiche Night Vale Community Radio shows, modeled after the shows by the host of the time, Leonard Burton. Cecil's ambition is not unseen, as he is invited to intern at Night Vale Community Radio.[5]
    • As of episode 106, It is becoming more apparent that Cecil Gershwin Palmer may have served his internship in the early 1980's, with the finding of his ID and Cecil's description of himself.
  • 1745
    • The future site of Night Vale and Desert Bluffs is not yet more than a large, featureless desert. Groups of settlers visit the future site of Night Vale, but only one elects to stay. Lee Marvin announces the foundation of the city of Night Vale, "complete with all the things a home needs: secrets, dread, omnipresent government, and areas that are forbidden!"[6] Early settlers included peace-loving imperialist conquerors and religious leaders who wore "soft meats crowns" made of inverted organs strung around the head[3], and were supported by Huntokar, the god creator of the city of Night Vale[1].
  • After the foundation of the USA, the Faceless Old Woman comes to America in an attempt to find answers to a long ago betrayal[1].

19th century[]

20th century[]

  • 1904
  • 1912
  • 1920
    • The Hundred Year Play begins.[13]
  • 1932
    • Known as "the super blunder of 1932": The Obelisk visits Night Vale and chooses 6-year-old Bartholomew Thomason to ask the question. Question asked: "Am I going to have corn for dinner?" Answer: Assumely "No". [14]
  • 1934
    • New Years Eve: Night Vale celebrates its prosperity and the "Sparklingly Clean Thirties" with a swimming pool full of champagne.[6]
  • ca. 1942
  • 1943
    • For the war effort, Night Vale citizens chant around bloodstones for the victory of the United States in World War II.[6] A federal lawsuit later requires Night Vale to take down its 7-story monument to Night Vale's contributions to the War Effort.[3]
  • ca. 1948
    • The Obelisk returns to Night Vale. Citizen chosen: Sidney Lanyard. Question asked and rejected: "How do you cure cancer?" Impromptu question: Sidney asks if his wife is cheating on him with Gerald Framingham. [14]
  • 1950s
    • Night Vale is visited by genderless future humans using time travel technology, which is subsequently outlawed.[16]
    • The city decided to create a public beach made entirely out of municipally burned books.[17]
  • 1954
    • Danielle DuBois is the current mayor of Night Vale. She writes a poem in honour of nothing that should never not be unknown, Later, in her honor, a monolith in place of the future dog park is erected.[18]
  • 1970s
  • 1978
    • Following some unknown incident, the Night Vale Fine Arts Museum is frozen in time. No one has been able to enter or exit since.[19]
  • 1980s
    • Paul Birmingham begins his community activism by spending most of the 80s advocating for the legalization of oregano.[20]
  • 1983
    • The 1983 Earthquake Dust Fire occurs[21].
    • The world in on the brink of nuclear war, caused from mistakenly launched missiles.
    • Huntokar attempts to remove Night Vale off the world, and thus shatters reality and makes different worlds merge and collide.
    • Night Vale's pen pals from Nulogorsk, Night Vale's sister city, stop changing the dates on their letters and presumably get stuck in 1983[22] or are being decimated in the war.
    • The September 24th issue of the Night Vale Daily Journal, as brought in the submarine from Nulogorsk, has an article with the headline "Sister City Nulogorsk Decimated By Nuclear Attack - No Known Survivors". The Night Vale copy of the same issue has a different front page article, probably because the submarine came from another world[22].
    • The last performance at the Old Night Vale Opera House occurs.[12]
  • ca. 1983
  • 1984
    • Simone Rigadeau announces that her reality has split. She closes down the Earth Sciences Department at Night Vale Community College in order to devote herself to better understanding it[6].
    • A fundraiser is held to benefit the Old Night Vale Opera House.[6]
  • 1985
    • The Old Night Vale Opera House is abandoned after an uncontrolled puppy infestation renders the building unsafe.[4]
  • 1986
  • 1990s
    • The Old Night Vale Opera House has a puppy infestation and is shut down as a result.[12]
  • 1993
    • During Poetry Week, an unchecked librarian population results in the loss of many innocent and screaming book lovers.[18]
  • 1994
    • Demolition of the Old Night Vale Opera House begins.[12]
    • Old Woman Josie meets the Angels for the first time.[12]
  • 1997
    • A large sandstorm occurs, burying the Pancake House under 200 tons of sand.[25]
    • The Obelisk returns to Night Vale. Question asked: "What’s the best tasting carbonated soft drink on the market today?" Answer: "Surge" [14]
  • ca. 1997
    • Night Vale stops corresponding with their Nulogorsk pen pals, as they can no longer discuss about contemporary developments in Michel Jackson's career.[22]
  • 1998
    • Stan’s Pawn Shop releases a virulent strain of Ebola.[26]

21st century[]

  • ca. 2003
    • The last round of worm-based terror.[27]
  • 2008
    • Scorpions reopen The Pancake House under the name Arachnid Hut.[25]
    • The Great Cataclysm occurs, turning all residents of Pine Cliff into ghosts.[28]
  • 2009
    • The scorpions who own Arachnid Hut file for Chapter 7, and the restaurant disappears again.[25]
  • 2011
  • 2012
    • The dog park's inauguration. No one, except the hooded figures, is to enter the dog park.[31]
    • Carlos and his team of scientists arrive to Night Vale.[31]
    • The Glow Cloud first passes through Night Vale.[32] Later in the year, it becomes a member of the school board of Night Vale Elementary School, while its child begins education at the school.[33]
    • June 15: Delta flight 18713 makes radio contact with the Night Vale airport.[34]
  • 2013
    • Night Vale legalizes time travel.[35]
    • During Poetry Week, the dog park opens, trapping Intern Dana inside.[18]
    • Mayor Pamela Winchell announces her resignation before the end of 2013 for the first time. She continues to announce her resignation throughout the year.[36]
    • One year after the dog park's inauguration, Carlos is wounded and saved by the Apache Tracker, who dies in process.[37]
    • The Night Vale Subway System opens, and not before long, closes. Petitions are made to re-open it.[38]
    • StrexCorp Synernists Incorporated buys Night Vale Community Radio.[4]
  • 2014
    • John Peters (You know, the farmer?) - or, rather, his duplicate - begins and then ends selling orange juice that makes people disappear.[39]
    • StrexCorp Synernists Incorporated takes complete ownership of all residences and businesses in Night Vale, renaming it the "Greater Desert Bluffs Metropolitan Area."[40]
    • Night Vale unites as one, and with help of the angels and the masked warriors, is able to overthrow StrexCorp's takeover.[41]
    • The Mayoral Election of 2014 is held.
    • Ground is broken on the new Old Night Vale Opera House.
    • Dana Cardinal is inaugurated as mayor.
  • 2015
  • 2016
  • 2018
  • 2019
    • Lee Marvin turns 31, and time begins working correctly in Night Vale.[45]
  • 2020
    • The Obelisk returns to Night Vale. Person chosen: Susan Willman. Question asked: "What’s your name?" Answer: "Whosoever speaks aloud the name of the Obelisk shall become the Obelisk. Whosoever becomes the Obelisk shall live forever. Whosoever lives forever shall know all things. Whosoever knows all things shall be damned. And whosoever hears the name of the Obelisk spoken aloud shall perish." [14]
  • 2021
    • Night Vale is revealed to the rest of the world.[46]
  • 2022
  • 2052 Various future events include:[3]
    • The "Scion of the Dark Order" will descend, realize he mistimed the prophecy, and re-ascend.
    • The Seventh Siege of the Great Night Vale Temple will rage on.
    • The "Plague of Buzzing Boils" will kill thousands and annoy thousands more with its buzzing.
    • The City Council will reveal its true form and eat half of the population of time.
    • Approval ratings for the Mayor will be around 40%, despite there having been no mayor for over thirty years.

Precise date unknown[]

  • Decades ago, the lizard kings, impressed by the effort Americans put into their unsuccessful revolution, decide to let them have their own country. (still ruled by the reptilians)[49]
  • Within Kevin's adult lifetime[50], but before 2013[35]: The Incident strikes Desert Bluffs. Before the Incident, the Desert Bluffs Cacti Marching Band had "crisp, clean uniforms"; afterwards, they did not.
  • Desert Bluffs is founded, and is unaware of Night Vale[6]
  • StrexCorp takes over Desert Bluffs, with significant resistance from local radio host Kevin[50].

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Episode 109 "A Story About Huntokar"
  2. Episode 4 "PTA Meeting"
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Episode 7 "History Week"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Episode 32 "Yellow Helicopters"
  5. Episode 33 "Cassette"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 Episode 67 "Best Of?"
  7. 7.0 7.1 Episode 149 "The General"
  8. Episode 61 "BRINY DEPTHS"
  9. Episode 84 "Past Time"
  10. Episode 36 "Missing"
  11. Cecil recounts his meeting with Guglielmo Marconi after the latter had invented radio, but before radio was widely known. Marconi's first working prototype was constructed over the summer of 1895.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Episode 97 "Josefina"
  13. Episode 173 "The Hundred Year Play"
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Episode 172 "Return of the Obelisk"
  15. Cecil's first broadcast as host is during World War II, and mentions that America has recently been attacked. The attack on Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941, is the most logical referent.
  16. Episode 43 "Visitor"
  17. Episode 103 "Ash Beach"
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 Episode 20 "Poetry Week"
  19. Episode 183 "The Nephilim"
  20. Episode 83 "One Normal Town"
  21. Episode 10 "Feral Dogs"
  22. 22.0 22.1 22.2 Episode 40 "The Deft Bowman"
  23. Episode 28 "Summer Reading Program"
  24. Episode 34 "A Beautiful Dream"
  25. 25.0 25.1 25.2 Episode 124 "A Door Ajar Part 1"
  26. Episode 9 ""PYRAMID""
  27. Episode 66 "worms..."
  28. Episode 134 "Fall Football Preview"
  29. Cecil says it was completed "last spring" on 1 September 2012.
  30. Episode 6 "The Drawbridge"
  31. 31.0 31.1 Episode 1 "Pilot"
  32. Episode 2 "Glow Cloud"
  33. Episode 8 "The Lights in Radon Canyon"
  34. Episode 162 "Alpha"
  35. 35.0 35.1 Episode 18 "The Traveler"
  36. Episode 24 "The Mayor"
  37. Episode 25 "One Year Later"
  38. Episode 29 "Subway"
  39. Episode 38 "Orange Grove'"
  40. Episode 47 "Company Picnic"
  41. Episode 49 "Old Oak Doors Part B"
  42. Episode 74 "Civic Changes"
  43. 43.0 43.1 Episode 147 "The Protester"
  44. Episode 129 "A Matter of Blood Part 3"
  45. The Birthday of Lee Marvin
  46. Listeners
  47. The Moon Is Gone
  48. The Campus
  49. Episode 49 "Old Oak Doors Part A"
  50. 50.0 50.1 Episode 73 "Triptych"
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