The Fallout series has a few differences from the real-world timeline. Obviously, there has not been a nuclear war that destroyed the world (as of yet), but some real-world events either changed or never happened in the Fallout universe. These changes can range from small sports-related events to major nations still existing into the 2000s.
Players are sure to notice a few differences between the real world and the Fallout world, but there might be a few changes players did not notice. The divergence between Fallout and the real world started in the 1960s, with a few extra changes before the 60s.
Updated on June 11, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra: Fallout has some of the most unique and expansive lore ever seen in a video game. A ton of thought was put into the retro-futuristic setting of Fallout and how the advent of a nuclear war would bring about a change in this alternate universe. As a result, it's only a given that Fallout's history is pretty intriguing, with various real-world differences being especially interesting.
15 China Replacing The Soviet Union As The "Opponents" Of The US
In the world of the Fallout universe, the Cold War never happened. The war was anything but cold, with nuclear bombs dropping within moments.
As a result, the country that turned into villains for the Americans wasn't the Soviet Union, but China instead. Of course, the advent of the Great War changed the course of history in the Fallout universe for good.
14 A Lack Of Prevalent Racism And Sexism
During the 50s and 60s, it's obvious that racism was at an all-time high while women empowerment was considered to be a non-issue by many. So, if the Fallout universe still carried over the style and beliefs of the 50s, then there's a pretty major change that everyone would've noticed.
There isn't really a lot of bigotry stemming from either racist or sexist backgrounds in Fallout. Both men and women are considered to be equally competent in combat, and pretty much no character is judged or vilified because of whatever color their skin might be.
13 Vacuum Tube Electronics Being The Norm
There was a time when vacuum tube electronics were all the rage. However, as technology developed, this archaic design was only used in a handful of instances.
However, in the Fallout universe, vacuum tube electronics are all the rage. Sure, other forms of electronics have also made their way into the game, but there's no denying that vacuum tubes are still preferred over the rest.
12 The Creation Of Mutated Insects
For the most part, the fauna of America transformed into gigantic and monstrous versions that could rough up the strongest adventurers around. However, not all of these are mutations caused by radiation from the nuclear war.
As revealed during the Old World Blues DLC, Cazadores were actually created in a lab on the Big MT by Dr. Borous in 2003. This is a pretty huge difference from regular history, where animals are yet to be mutated into such horrific monstrosities.
11 China Never Going Through With Its Revolutionary Economic Reforms
A big reason why China became such a massive powerhouse was because of its economic reforms to enable a free market. This, coupled with its dedicated resources, has led to this country being one of the most influential in the entire world.
However, around the same time, China in the Fallout universe never even proposed these radical economic reforms. It seems the threat of war was so omnipresent all the time that people just had different things to worry about.
10 1950s Mindset
The world of Fallout will almost certainly give players a feeling they are in the 1950s. The clothes, the cars, and the music that can be heard all take inspiration from the time period. The world seems to have stopped progressing in the 1950s, instead of taking that style and technology and sticking with it.
The fear of communism also makes a huge appearance in the game, being a similar fear in the real-life 1950s. Exploring the wastelands also reveals greaser gangs, along with their slang from the 50s.
9 Scollay Square Torn Down In 1960s
Scollay Square is where the settlement of Goodneighbor is located. The only thing is, the real Scollay Square was torn down in 1962. This is one more thing players can add to the list of Fallout Boston looking different from real Boston.
Scollay Square in Fallout survived destruction and the Great War to become a major settlement in post-war Boston. Players who wander around Goodneighbor might not have known that Scollay Square no longer exists, being torn down to redevelop the area after it became a red-light district.
8 Washington Post Renamed Capitol Post
The Capitol Post takes the place of the Washington Post in the Fallout universe. Players are able to see headlines of the newspaper during the loading screens, showing the United Nations was disbanded and the United States annexed Canada. The newspaper was started in 1877 and served Washington D.C. until the Great War.
Players can meet a reporter for the newspaper in the Operation Anchorage DLC. A character named American War Correspondent will take a picture of three soldiers posing.
7 USSR Still Around
The Soviet Union dissolved in 1991 instead of becoming Russia and the many other countries that made up the union. In the Fallout universe, the Soviet Union existed well into the 21st century. The country even launched a few nukes during the Great War.
One of the selectable characters in the first Fallout can be the granddaughter of a Soviet diplomat who got into Vault 13. The fact Soviets had ambassadors in America and one of these ambassadors got into a vault potentially shows that America and the Soviet Union had a closer relationship in Fallout.
6 Aliens Make An Appearance
In the real world, it cannot be 100% confirmed that aliens have visited Earth. In the Fallout universe, there is no doubt that aliens have made it to the earth. Players can stumble across crashed ships, aliens exploring the wasteland, and even be abducted by a ship.
Certain alien weapons can be taken for use, giving the player a huge advantage over their enemies. So far it seems like only one species makes an appearance, being little green men in shiny suits.
5 Split Into Commonwealths
The United States was split into 13 different commonwealths in 1969. This also caused the flag of the United States to change, instead of having 13 stars in a circle, with one big star in the middle. These commonwealths were created to benefit states with similar regional concerns.
This backfired, as states did everything to promote their own self-interests and competed with other commonwealths. Some states in the same commonwealth also had internal squabbles with each other.
4 Americans First Ones In Space
In Fallout, America beat China and the Soviet Union in the space race. The Americans became the first country to make it into space with the astronaut Carl Bell. In real-life, the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space.
In the series, the Soviet Union and China disputed America's claim of being the first ones in space. The astronaut responsible for this, Carl Bell, went into space for 12 minutes and achieved one full revolution around the earth. He died upon reentry when his capsule crashed.
3 Bonnie And Clyde Inspired
Bonnie and Clyde still exist in the Fallout universe, but so do another famous criminal couple. In the game's lore, Vikki and Vance started their crime spree two days before Bonnie and Clyde did, but did not become as famous. Vikki and Vance's crimes were not as impressive, driving off before paying for gas, shoplifting, and cashing-check fraud.
Vikki and Vance accidentally drove their car between officers and criminals, getting shot up in the process. Like the real Bonnie and Clyde, the Vikki and Vance death car was displayed in a casino in Primm. Vikki and Vance even got the casino named after them.
2 West Virginia University Rebranded
The college in Morgantown in real-life is called West Virginia University. At some point in the Fallout universe, it was renamed to Vault-Tec University and used as a training ground for Vault-Tec. Here students could learn about vaults to become a scientist or an overseer.
Players can find test vaults in the college, giving students a chance to practice as overseers and as scientists. It is also likely here that some students and faculty came up with the experiments for each of the vaults.
1 Boston Team Hasn't Won Since 1918
The Red Sox did have a curse, but it was broken in 2004. The team in Fallout did not seem to have such luck, still not having a win in 2077. Players who go to Diamond City can see the banners that say the last team win was in 1918.
A terminal in the Boston Bugle can be found that says the team is on track to win the World Series in 2077. Sadly, the Great War puts an end to this, meaning the Red Sox continues to be winless.