FREEDOM CITY TIMELINE
*CIRCA 2 MILLION BC*
The Serpent People found the Empire of Lemuria.
*CIRCA 100,000 BC*
The alien Preservers first visit Earth and tamper
with humanoid genetics, taking various samples
with them, which they use to “seed” other
worlds with humanoid life.
*CIRCA 50,000 BC*
The Preservers make their last visit to Earth. They
build a city on the far side of the Moon and place
a human colony there before they depart.
*CIRCA 20,000 BC*
Humans advanced by the Preservers found the
island nation of Atlantis.
*CIRCA 10,000 BC*
War between human-controlled Atlantis and
serpent-controlled Lemuria triggers a great
cataclysm, sinking both island continents.
Atlantean survivors scatter, some founding
the Utopian society, others the hidden city of
Ultima Thule.
*CIRCA 9500 BC*
The Atlanteans rediscover the surface world and
fight a war with Athens.
*CIRCA 3000 BC*
The Egyptian sorcerer Tan-Aktor betrays and
murders Prince Heru-Ra. The Greek gods grant
Daedalus immortality after the death of his son
Icarus.
*1606*
Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English
settlement in the New World, founded.
*1630*
Landing of settlers in Great Bay at the future
site of Freedom.
Buccaneers claim Tortuga, off the northwest
coast of Hispaniola, in the Caribbean. Tales of
the legendary Crimson Corsair spread as far as
Freedom.
*1631*
Freedom officially founded with the building of
its first common house and town hall
*1669*
Founding of Bayview
*1694*
Prophet’s Crusade, witch-hunts begin in the
Freedom area.
*1696*
Elijah Prophet leaves Freedom, ending the infamous
witch-hunts.
*1698*
Founding of Port Regal
*1719*
Founding of Kingston
*1745*
Founding of Hanover
*1770*
Initial protests against the excesses of British
troops in Freedom, Boston, and New York.
*1773*
Kingston Tea Party (a show of solidarity with
Colonial rebels in Boston)
*1775*
Battle at Lexington Green and the start of the
American War of Independence.
*1776*
The Declaration of Independence signed.
American and British troops report the first
sightings of a mysterious masked woman
who becomes known as “Lady Liberty.” The
Minuteman first appears in the Boston area.
*1779*
American Major Joseph Clark wins decisive victories
over the British, driving them from Freedom
and the surrounding area.
*1781*
The British surrender to the American army at
Yorktown.
*1787*
United States constitution framed and ratified.
*1789*
Incorporation of Freedom City.
*1799*
Establishment of Freedom College on the outskirts
of the city
*1825*
Establishment of Freedom City University.
Freedom City’s first daily newspaper—the
Freedom Ledger—begins publication.
*1851*
The Denny party founds Cascade City. Some discussion is given as whether they should should name it for a local Indian chief, but is discarded in favor of naming it both for the mountain chain nearby and the proliferance of waterfalls on the rivers in the area.
*1861*
American Civil War begins.
*1863*
The first publishing of the Cascade Gazette.
*1865*
American Civil War ends.
*1889*
Freedom City celebrates its centennial.
Washington admitted as 42nd State.
The Great Fire destroys Cascade City. The new city is built to the side of the old location, and eventually grows over the old ruins.
*1890*
Jack-a-Knives terrorizes the red light districts of
Freedom City.
The vampire lord Dracula terrorizes London.
Sioux shaman (and Master Mage) Broken Crow
dies at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
Occult rituals by the Brotherhood of the Yellow
Sign thwarted by mages of the Order of Light.
*1897*
The Klondike Gold Rush rejuvenates Cascade City. It becomes a hub for northern and oriental trade.
*1902*
Cascadia University founded.
*1907*
Cascade City's Pike Place Market opens.
*1908*
A massive explosion in Tunguska, Siberia flattens
everything in a 35-mile radius. The cause
remains unknown, with theories ranging from
a rogue comet or meteor to an alien vessel or
microscopic black hole.
*1912*
The S.S. Titanic sinks on her maiden voyage.
Although the ship struck an iceberg, some later
scholars suggest the Atlanteans were responsible,
although there has never been any evidence
to support this theory.
*1914–1918*
World War I fought in Europe.
*1918*
Centurion’s life-pod enters Earth’s dimension
and lands west of Freedom City.
Thule Society founded in Europe based on ancient
legends of the “lost land” of Ultima Thule.
*1919*
Boeing's first plane, the B-1 Flying Boat, is built outside of Cascade City.
*1926*
Cascade City elects Bertha Landes as Mayor. She is the first woman to be mayor of a major US city.
*1927*
Johnny Danger delivers “Six Fingers” Scocci to
police and breaks up the Tomo mob.
The Bluesman fights mob influence in the West
End.
*1928*
Aurora Press produces pulp adventures of Johnny
Danger, the Ghost, Bluesman, and others.
*1935*
Archeologist Adrian Eldrich discovers the lost
Temple of Sirrion and awakens Malador the Mystic.
Eldrich becomes Earth’s new Master Mage.
Wilhelm Kantor becomes an initiate of the Thule
Society and begins studying black magic.
*1938*
Centurion first appears, preventing a robbery at
the First National Bank by lifting the getaway
car off the ground with his bare hands, bullets
bouncing harmlessly off him.
Midnight prevents a robbery by bogus
“Martians” during Orson Wells’ broadcast of
War of the Worlds.
The Thule Society makes contact with the superhuman
inhabitants of Ultima Thule, who erase
their memories of the encounter after rejecting
the notion of “Aryan superiority.” However, one
rogue Ultiman named Kal-Zed chooses to initiate
contact with the Nazis, posing as a “sport”
superhuman.
*1939*
The Freedom Eagle first appears.
The first non-American “mystery man” debuts
when der Übermensch (Kal-Zed) appears in
Germany. A number of German supers follow.
*1940*
The first Bowman makes his public debut, followed
by Johnny Rocket.
Lantern Jack makes his first confirmed appearance
in the modern era.
*1941*
A new Lady Liberty makes her first appearance
in Washington D.C.
Nazi mastermind Wilhelm Kantor grants Nacht-
Krieger his shadow-powers and lures a group
of heroes into an ambush in Poland. Three are
killed but the survivors go on to form the Allies
of Freedom.
A German U-boat torpedoes and sinks a European
luxury liner. American singer Lynn Sidon is among
those missing and presumed dead.
The Japanese attack the American Naval Base
at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
Dr. Tomorrow arrives from the future with the
prediction that the Axis will win the war if history
as he knows it remains unchanged.
President Roosevelt announces the formation of
the Liberty League.
The first appearance of the Crimson Gargoyle and Vibrato in Cascade City deters monsters from Kaiju Island driven towards the West Coast by Japanese magicians. They are soon joined by Dr. Swift, Mr. Baseball, and the telekinetic Zamora.
*1942*
The Patriot first appears in Boston and joins the
Liberty League.
First appearance of the Siren along Freedom
City’s waterfront.
The Human Tank and Gunner appear in Port
Regal and soon fight overseas in Europe, joining
the Allies of Freedom.
Formation of the first Crime League in Freedom
City, composed of costumed criminals threatened
by the activities of the Liberty League.
The formation of the first Cascade Champions to defend the Western half of the US is sponsored by the Allies.
The Blackfoot Shaman Dark Hunter joins the Cascade Champions.
*1945*
Nacht-Krieger kills many of the members of the
Allies of Freedom. White Rose and White Thorn
imprison him at the bottom of the ocean near
Freedom City at the cost of their own lives.
Germany surrenders to the Allies.
Dark Hunter sacrifices herself stopping a ritual designed to cause all of the volcanoes in the coastal United States to erupt.
The United States drops two atomic bombs on
Japan at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders,
ending the Second World War.
*1946*
The Crimson Katana murders the Human Tank
and Gunner, and critically injures Vibrato in occupied Japan.
Siren marries Prince Thallor of Atlantis and
leaves the surface world for her new home.
The Crimson Gargoyle disappears into a mystical portal with the comatose Vibrato, never to be seen again.
*1947*
Several UFO sightings reported as a result of
a Grue/Lor skirmish in Earth’s solar system.
A Grue scout ship crashes near Roswell, New
Mexico. The wreckage and the bodies of the
crew are taken into government custody.
*1949*
A massive earthquake hits Cascade City, dropping large parts of the city below the level they were previously. In Rebuilding, these areas are essentially paved over, providing yet another 'layer' to the city.
*1950*
A group of Grue scouts begin infiltrating and
spying on the United States government.
*1954*
Mr. Baseball defeats Grue infiltrators in Cascade City, leaving other heroes able to thwart a secret Grue invasion of Earth.
*1955*
The HUAC hearings force the conscientious disbanding
of the Liberty League and the Cascade Champions.
The Freedom Eagle and Bowman retire.
After stopping King Cole and his Blackbirds,
Midnight goes underground and is never heard
from again.
Dr. Swift begins teaching physics at Cascadia University.
Zamora becomes the first female head of a hospital when she takes the position at St. Augustine's Hospital and Medical Center.
*1959*
Dr. Swift dies in front of his senior class on the dangers of nuclear energy, his sped metabolism overboosting and aging him 30 years in a matter of minutes.
*1960*
Hades, the Greek god of the Underworld,
invades Freedom City with an undead army. A
number of heroes band together to fend off the
invasion. The heroes remain together to combat
similar threats, founding the Freedom League.
*1961*
Dr. Alexander Atom makes his home in Freedom
City, purchasing the newly constructed Goodman
Building and moving there with his wife Anne
and their daughter Andrea.
*1962*
The U.S. government establishes AEGIS (the
American Elite Government Intervention
Service), appointing Jack Simmons (formerly the
Patriot) as its first director.
Cascade City hosts a World's Fair, and debuts its monorail system.
*1964*
AEGIS opens Blackstone Penitentiary off
the coast of Freedom City, a prison specially
designed to hold superhuman inmates, moving
criminals from existing prisons.
Freedom City faces a British invasion when the
Beatles visit the city. The Freedom League stops
the musical mastermind Maestro from using the
band to mind-control thousands of screaming
fans.
*1965*
Omega and the forces of the Terminus pierce
the dimensional barriers and invade Freedom
City. Omega and his army are driven back by the
League and Dr. Atom.
Sea-King (the son of Siren and Prince Thallor of
Atlantis) joins the Freedom League.
*1966*
The Freedom Friends premieres, a cartoon very
loosely based on the Freedom League’s real
adventures. Although campy and childish, the
show is a hit, but only lasts until 1970 when
legal issues and “creative differences” with the
League lead to its cancellation. It remains a cult
classic.
*1969*
Earth takes its “giant leap for mankind” with the
first lunar landing, which draws the attention of
the inhabitants of Farside City.
Freedom City mourns the death of Chester Brown,
blues musician and former hero as the gang-busting
Bluesman. Mayor Herbert Huntington honors
him with a statue in Liberty Park.
Blackstar and Star Knight arrive on Earth. Star
Knight later joins the Freedom League.
A scouting party from the Grue Unity arrives
on Earth. They attempt to weaken Earth’s
defenses by impersonating the Freedom
League. Although the Grue are soon exposed
and repelled, the deception shakes public confidence
in the League.
*1971*
The first annual Chester Brown or “C.B.” Blues
Festival takes place in Freedom City’s Liberty
Park.
*1972*
The Raven confronts his archenemy Dr. Sin and
suffers crippling injuries while destroying Sin’s
airship fleet. He marries Dr. Sin’s daughter
Jasmine by the end of the year and hangs up his
cape and cowl. Their daughter, Callie Summers,
is born the following year.
Lady Liberty’s powers fade and eventually disappear
altogether. She continues to operate for
a time without them, but eventually chooses to
retire.
*1973*
Dracula, lord of vampires, stalks the streets of
Freedom City.
*1974*
Fletcher Beaumont, Jr., now in recovery, adopts
the identity of Bowman with Ethan Keller as the
new Arrow, each the third person to continue
the legacy of the Daring Duo.
*1975*
Daedalus leaves Earth on board his starship
Icarus to explore the galaxy.
Black Avenger quits the Freedom League, deciding
he can do more good as a solo hero.
*1976*
The Kingdome opens in Cascade City, to become the new home of the Cascade City Mariners.
*1977*
Four prostitutes in Freedom City’s Fens neighborhood
are murdered. The killer turns out to be
Jack-a-Knives, although the public believes it is a
copycat imitating the crimes of the 19th century
serial killer.
The Atom Family, including daredevil Jack Wolf
and a young debunker of the paranormal called
Mentac the Magnificent, explore other dimensions,
outer space, and the deepest recesses of
the Earth. Although they fend off alien invasions,
rampaging dinosaurs, and would-be
conquerors while exploring lost worlds, fantastic
ruins, and the inner Earth, many of the Atom
Family’s adventures do not become widely
known to the public.
Star Knight leaves Earth to return to Citadel, taking
Blackstar there for trial and imprisonment.
*1978*
The Daring Duo suffers a humiliating public
defeat due to a drunken Bowman, who retires
in disgrace. Arrow defeats the Shark Syndicate alone, and continues to operate on his own, refusing to adopt the name and costume of Bowman.
*1979*
Lucius Cabot returns to Freedom City for the
first time in a century and moves the law firm of
Cabot, Cunningham & Crowley from New York
to Freedom City.
Brainstorm and Scarab sacrifice their lives to
save the Freedom League from the mental
domination of the Scions of Sobek, long-dead
Egyptian sorcerer-priests, awakened by the
machinations of SHADOW. The Freedom League
begins a series of reorganizations and changes.
Zamora, last visible member of the Cascade Champions, passes away in her sleep with her many children and grandchildren present. The father of her original 3 children was never known.
*1980*
Ethan Keller adopts the code-name Archer and
begins a ruthless war on drug-lords and organized
crime. Unlike his predecessors, Archer
sometimes uses lethal force to strike fear among
the criminals of the city.
Mt. St. Helens erupts.
*1981*
Two members of the Freedom League—Tectonic
and Halogen—die stopping the rampage of
the Katanarchists, led by the Crimson Katana.
Centurion disbands the League before more
lives are lost.
*1983*
The WahMee Massacre occurs in Cascade City's Chinatown. Unknown to most, it was done by mind-controlled humans, affected by new crime Lord Lo Pan's mental control rings. He is thwarted later by the aging Mr. Baseball.
*1984*
The wedding of Andrea Atom and Prince Mentac
marks the end of the original Atom Family’s
adventuring careers. Jack Wolf leaves Freedom
City to become a mercenary.
Franklin Moore elected Mayor of Freedom City
on a platform of “zero-tolerance” for crime and
vigilantism. Costumed heroes are outlawed, and
even some stalwarts like Centurion are forced to
stop operating in Freedom City.
*1985*
Castle Comics starts up in New York City and
buys up the rights to the pulps and comics
properties of the long-defunct Aurora Press and
Aurora Publishing Group.
Maximus Atom is born. Anne Atom dies from
complications due to cancer.
In defiance of the Moore Act, Archer forms
FORCE Ops, uniting a young (sometimes brutal)
cadre of heroes to fight Mayor Moore’s political
machine as well as more standard menaces and
enemies. The new heroes are branded outlaws.
Cascade city follows Freedom and other major citis in banning vigilante, and therefore superhero, activity.
*1986*
Tess Atom is born.
*1988*
Victoria Atom is born.
*1989*
Harry Wiseman takes the helm of Castle Comics
and immediately plans the move of its central
publishing house and offices to Freedom City.
Chase Atom is born.
Freedom City celebrates its bicentennial.
Lucius Cabot moves to Cascade City and opens a new branch of the law firm of Cabot, Cunningham & Crowley in Cascade City.
*1992*
Michael O’Connor Jr.’s “No Moore” campaign
wins him the mayoral election by a landslide—
particularly after FORCE Ops exposes some of
Franklin Moore’s criminal ties. Mayor O’Connor
devotes his efforts (and considerable personal
fortune) toward rebuilding people’s trust in their
leaders and in Freedom City.
*1993*
The Terminus Invasion. The armies of Omega
invade Freedom City. The largest alliance of
heroes ever seen unite to repel the invaders.
Many heroes die or are seriously injured in the
battle. Centurion sacrifices himself to shatter
Omega’s support armor, forcing the overlord
to retreat back into the Terminus. Freedom City
and the world mourn the loss of their greatest
hero.
Dr. Metropolis makes his presence known in
Freedom City. FORCE Ops is no more in the
aftermath of the invasion, leaving Freedom City
without a team of heroes.
Jack Wolf returns to Freedom City, with Andrea
Atom and Mentac missing and presumed dead
following Omega’s defeat. Dr. Atom, himself
dying of cancer, transfers his intellect into a
holographic computer system. Jack becomes the
legal guardian of the Atom children.
Mayor O’Connor repeals the Moore Act, making
superheroes legal in Freedom City once again.
A grateful city welcomes their return with open
arms.
After seeing the effects of the Terminus Invasion, Mayor Norm Rice (also the first black mayor of Cascade City) revokes the acts of the 80's banning superhero activity.
Mr. Baseball throws the first pitch, opening the Mariner's season.
*1994*
A group of heroes re-establishes the Freedom
League, and it quickly becomes the world’s premier
superhero team.
Mayor O’Connor establishes Honor Day, the
annual citywide holiday to commemorate
the defeat of Omega and the sacrifice of the
Centurion and other fallen heroes, with the dedication
of the Sentry Statue in Riverside Park
*1995*
Malador the Mystic takes control of Dr.
Metropolis and has him seal up five occupied
buildings for a ritual sacrifice on a massive
scale. Eldrich, Lantern Jack, and Siren defeat the
enthralled hero and the evil sorcerer. Malador
appears slain when Dr. Metropolis drops a building
on him, but reappears to battle Eldrich the
following year.
*1996*
Mayor O’Connor wins re-election.
*1998*
The next generation of the Atom Family becomes
well known when Dr. Atom’s four grandchildren
develop super-powers.
*1999*
Despite worldwide fears of computer chaos, the
Freedom League handily defeats the Millennium
Bug and his Y2K Drones.
The WTO Conference in Cascade City is disrupted by riots. They spread and are worsened by superhuman activity, which destroys the Kingdome, injuring Mr. Baseball. He disappears afterwards.
*2000*
Michael O’Connor Jr. wins re-election to a third
term in office.
The Millennium Bug, with some extradimensional
help from the Terminus, wreaks havoc
by freeing the inmates of Blackstone. While
the Bug and most others meet defeat that
night, it takes the world’s heroes more than six
months to recapture all the escapees, the last
being the Green Man after his defeat by the
Next-Gen.
Jack Simmons, the Patriot, passes away in a
government hospital. His memories and personality
are downloaded into an advanced android,
allowing Simmons to continue working as a
government agent behind the scenes.
*2001*
An alliance of super-villains destroys Freedom
Hall and seriously wounds or disables most
of the Freedom League. Daedalus defeats the
villains apparently by himself, though unconfirmed
rumors suggest he had aid from the
mysterious Foreshadow. The League rebuilds
Freedom Hall to its current splendor within the
year.
Duncan Summers, the original Raven, opens
the Claremont Academy in Bayview. He begins
teaching the next generation of super-powered
youngsters about the deeds and the sacrifices
of all those who came before them.
A mild earthquake hits Cascade City.
*2002*
The Centurion reappears, claiming to have been
trapped in the Terminus for years. He turns out
to be an imposter created by Omega to infiltrate
Earth’s heroes. Chase Atom exposes the deception
and the false “Alpha Centurion” is defeated
and trapped in the Zero Zone.
The Freedom League and the Atom Family stand
off against Atlanteans preparing to invade the
surface world. The Next-Gen travels to Atlantis
with their teammate Nereid to help free her
father and the rest of the Atlantean royal family
from the clutches of the Deep Ones, who
have seized control of Atlantis using the Serpent
Scepter. The Atlanteans are freed and the invasion
averted.
Omega attempts to destroy the multiverse with
a series of cosmic bombs. Only last-minute
intervention by a small band of heroes and the
cosmic entity known as the Norn saves all creation
from annihilation.
Mr. Baseball reappears and moves to Freedom City to join the staff at the Claremont Academy.
*2003*
The Green Man co-opts and uses Dr. Metropolis’
power to turn Freedom City into a primeval
rainforest. Freed by fellow heroes, Metropolis
reclaims his power and imprisons the Green
Man deep within the Earth.
*2004*
With the escape of the rogue Blackstar, Mentor
appoints police officer Maria Montoya the new
Star Knight of Earth’s sector of space.
Fletcher Beaumont III, the fourth Bowman, graduates
from the Claremont Academy and joins
the Freedom League.
The Grue Unity launches an invasion of Earth.
The Freedom League and its allies—including
numerous reserve and inactive members—manage
to hold off the alien fleet. Chase Atom
defeats the Grue Meta-Mind in psychic combat
with the aid of the Moonstone and Earth’s gathered
psychics and mystics. Star Knight officially
joins the Freedom League following the invasion.
*2005*
The Freedom League builds a satellite headquarters
dubbed “the Lighthouse” and greatly
expands its ranks to act as guardians of the
entire world. Freedom Hall becomes the team’s
local outpost in Freedom City.
*2006*
A massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami, devastates Southern Asia and Indonesia. The Freedom League is instrumental in getting assistance to the trapped and injured. Some of the monsters of Kaiju Island escape.
Dr. Null is killed trying to destroy the Blake Dam in Cascade City. The damage is mitigated by the quick actions of the Cascade Champions.
*2010*
A portal opens in Cascade City to the Underworld, prompting an invasion by Hades. At the same time, Overshadow activates Operation: Inundation. Between the two events, The Freedom League and the Cascade Champions suffer no small losses, and the overall balance of power in the world is affected by the destruction of SHADOW, as well as many heroes and villians who fought against Hades.
