when were the bombs dropped in fallout

In the Fallout universe, the bombs fell during the Great War on Saturday, October 23, 2077, with the first detonations at about 9:42 a.m. on the U.S. East Coast.

In‑universe date and time

• The Great War lasts only about two hours on October 23, 2077, effectively ending major civilization in a single morning.

• Lore sources place the first strikes (for example in New York and Pennsylvania) at 9:42 a.m. Eastern time, with additional hits like Washington, D.C. and Boston minutes later around 9:47 a.m.

How this shows up in games and media

• Multiple games and official materials reference October 23, 2077 as the day “the bombs dropped,” and this has become a core lore anchor for the franchise.

• Discussions around the TV adaptation note small timing/visual inconsistencies (like daylight and party scenes), but these are generally treated as minor retcons or cinematic liberties rather than a change to the canonical date.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.