Chronology of Atlas Shrugged

NOTE: The opening year of the novel is assumed to be 2011. For more details on what assumptions I make, and why I chose this particular dating scheme, see About the Atlas Chronology. All page references are from the paperback edition. The hardcover edition is typeset differently.

Year: Date: Event:
~1600 Sebastian D’Anconia emigrates to Argentina [p. 91].
~ 1875 Nat Taggart founds Taggart Transcontinental [p. 63].
1959 Robert Stadler born [p.178].
1966 Hank Rearden born [p.34].
Lee Hunsacker born [p. 298].
1968 Richard Halley born [p. 71].
Floyd Ferris born [p. 324].
1972 James Taggart born [p. 15].
1973 Phillip Rearden born [p. 40].
1975 Francisco D’Anconia born [p. 57].
John Galt born to a gas station mechanic in Ohio [p. 731].
Ragnar Danneskjöld born to a bishop in Norway [p. 143, 731].
1977 Dagny Taggart born [p. 55, 91].
1978 Ellis Wyatt born [p. 17].
1979 Eddie Willers born [p. 11].
1980 Hank Rearden begins work in iron mines in Minnesota [p. 36].
1982 Jeff Allen begins working for The Twentieth Century Motor Company [p. 616].
1984 Richard Halley writes his opera, Phaëthon. Ill-received, it closes after only one performance [p. 70].
William Hastings joins the staff at The Twentieth Century Motor Company [p. 309].
1985 Winter Francisco spends the winter of 1954-1955 as a guest of the Duke of Alba [p. 92].
1986 Robert Stadler completes his thesis on cosmic rays [p. 178].
Summer Dagny decides to work for Taggart Transcontinental [p. 55].
Winter Francisco spends the winter of 1955-1956 as a cabin boy on an ore freighter [p. 92].
1987 Summer Francisco begins working as call boy for a dispatcher at Taggart Transcontinental [p. 91-2].
John Galt (age 12) leaves home [p. 731].
1989 Robert Stadler is recognized as the greatest physicist of his time [p. 178].
Summer Eddie decides to do “Whatever is right.” [pp. 13-14]; Dagny tells Eddie she will run Taggart Trancontinental when she grows up [p. 55].
1991 Robert Stadler becomes head of the physics department at the Patrick Henry University [p. 97].
Fall Francisco D’Anconia, John Galt, and Ragnar Danneskjöld (all age 16) begin attending Patrick Henry University (P.H.U.) [p. 97].
1992 Dagny worries for first and last time whether people might object to a woman running a railroad [p. 55].
Fall Jim Taggart begins his senior year of college. D’Anconia, Galt, and Danneskjöld are sophomores [p. 98].
1993 Summer Dagny begins working as night station operator in Rockdale [p.55, 101]; Jim begins in the Department of Public Relations [p. 55].
1994 Dagny’s debut [p. 101-102].
Summer Francisco and Dagny’s relationship consumated [p. 107].
1995 Francisco graduates and purchases copper foundry [p. 109].
1996 Rearden purchases iron ore mine [p. 36].
Francisco becomes head of the New York office of D’Anconia Copper [p. 109].
1998 Francisco D’Anconia inherits D’Anconia Copper [p. 57, 110].
1999 State Science Institute founded. John Galt discontinues his graduate studies with Robert Stadler [p. 183, 738].
2001 Rearden purchases steel mills [p. 37]; begins work on Rearden Metal [p. 34].
2002 Spring Jed Starnes dies; heirs take over Twentieth Century Motor Company (TCMC) [p. 616, 279?, 313].
Spring John Galt vows “to stop the motor of the world” [p.626].
Spring Fransisco goes on strike [p. 110-114].

NOTE: Dagny is listed as 24 [p. 104], Galt as 26 [p. 310]. Birthdays after spring? See also pp. 458-9 – 12 years before Dec 2013 consistent with 2002 Spring]

Hugh Akston retires [p. 138].
Dagny breaks with Fransisco [p. 61].
Hastings quits TCMC [p. 309].
John Galt begins working for Taggart Transcontinental [p. 1004].
2003 Ellis Wyatt discovers a method to revive “exhausted” wells; Wyatt Oil takes off [p. 17].
Richard Halley vanishes mysteriously after success of Phaëthon [p. 71].
2005-6 TCMC goes out of business [p. 269, 617]; Lee Hunsacker’s Amalgamated Service, Inc. sues Midas Mulligan over denied loan to buy TCMC.
2006 Spring Midas Mulligan vanishes – Mulligan Bank wiped out [p. 301].
Taggart Senior dies. Jim becomes President.
Taggart Transcontinental Board authorizes construction of the San Sebastián Line [p. 57].
The chief engineer of Taggart Transcontinental, “a silent, gray haired, self-educated man, who could not be matched on any railraod” resigns [p. 157].
Excavations begin at San Sebastián Mine [p. 89].
Fall Judge Naragansett retires [p. 303].
2007 Death of William Hastings [p. 308].
A famous editor states the policy of the press: “There are no objective facts…. Every report on facts is only somebody’s opinion. It is therefore useless to write about facts [p. 218].”
2008 Eric Starnes commits suicide [p. 305].
Dr. Hendricks goes on strike [p. 661].
Fall(?) Simon Pritchett becomes head of the philosophy department at the P.H.U. [p. 129].
2009 Dagny threatens to resign; made Vice President in Charge of Operation [p.59].
Taggart Transcontinental orders Diesels from United Locomotive Works [p. 16].
2009-2010 Eugene (“The Banker with a Heart”) Lawson’s Community National Bank in Madison, WI goes bankrupt when Lee Hunsacker’s Amalgamated Service, Inc. runs TCMC into the ground. Mayor Bascom of Rome, WI buys remains of TCMC, sells them within 2-3 months to Mark Yonts [p. 281].
2010 August Taggart Transcontinental orders rail from Orren Boyle’s Associated Steel [p. 16].
Fall Mark Yonts of The People’s Mortgage Co., Rome, WI sells remains of Twentieth Century Motor Company to investors AND uses it as collateral on a loan [p. 278].
Fall Dagny completes San Sebastián Line. The line runs roughly 216 miles south from El Paso, TX [p.59].
2011 January 1 San Sebastián Line opens [p.59, 120].
September 2 Novel begins
October 25 “Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog Rule” passes [p. 217].
December 9 The Coast Guard attempts to capture Ragnar in Delaware Bay after his seizure of a ship to the People’s State of France. Papers, censored, do not print the news [p. 147-8].
December 10 Reardens’ anniversary party [p. 124].
2012 January ~23 Cherryl Brooks arrives in NY aboard a Taggart Train [p. 249].
Spring The Utah Institute of Technology closes [p. 340].
July 22 Opening of The John Galt Line [p. 220].
July 25 The Phoenix-Durango closes [p. 217, 220].
September 2 Hank and Dagny decide to take a vacation.
2013 September 2 James Taggart marries Cherryl Brooks
2014 March 31 The John Galt Line closes.
May 1 Directive #10-289 (“The Moratorium on Brains”) is imposed.
May 28 “Accident” destroys The Comet and The Taggart Tunnel.
May 31 Dagny crashes in Galt’s Gulch.
June 29 Dagny leaves Galt’s Gulch.
August 5 Cherryl Brooks commits suicide.
September 2 Nationalization of D’Anconia Copper.
November 4 Attack at mills; Rearden goes on strike
November 22 John Galt speaks.
2015 Spring The lights go out in New York. THE END.
2206 Contract “guaranteeing” private ownership of San Sebastián Line and San Sebastián Mines will expire [p. 62].

All Rights Reserved (c) 1995-2010 by Hans Gregory Schantz