Events prior to the 20th century ranged from the birth of rocket technology in the Medieval period, to the European colonization of America and subsequent revolutionary movements in modern times.
August 24 – 25: The Burning of Washington. Washington, D.C. is invaded by British forces and burned to the ground. The American flag reportedly survives, which leads to the creation of the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The use of the Congreve rocket by the British during this time is referenced in the anthem's verse "the Rocket's red glare."
October 13:United StatesmercenaryWilliam Walker seizes power in Nicaragua. Initially hired by the Nicaraguan Democratic Party to help counter the Conservative Party, Walker exploits rivalries between the two, eventually making himself president. He makes English an official language and tries to reintroduce slavery in order to build a "Caribbean Empire" centered on the American South.
The Berlin Conference occurs which results in various borders in Africa being formed by various colonial European countries without regard to the actual inhabitants of Africa.
^ abcdeMetal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Kojima Productions (2006).
^ abcdefghMetal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions (2010).
^ abcdMetal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2004).
^ abcMetal Gear Solid 4 Database, Kojima Productions (2008).
^Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, Kojima Productions (2008).
^Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Konami Computer Entertainment Japan (2001).
^ abcMetal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015).
^Metal Gear Solid 4: The Guns of the Patriots, Kojima Productions (2008). Rosemary: The primary mission of CSPs like mine is to provide care for soldiers suffering from combat stress. // Old Snake: Sounds like a good gig. // Rosemary: The symptoms were first identified during the American Civil War. During World War I they called it shell shock. Today it's known as post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
^Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Kojima Productions (2015). CFA soldier 1:So... when did they draw up the border around here anyway? // CFA soldier 2:Say what? // CFA soldier 1:Last week, we went off-road and ended up on the wrong side of the border - just like that. // CFA soldier 2:What, do you expect them to put up checkpoints in the middle of nowhere? // CFA soldier 1:But it's not like there are any rivers or mountains to go by. We never even knew when we'd gone across. // CFA soldier 2:Well, it's just a line drawn on a map, that's all. Go back a hundred years, 1884 - European nations come in, divide up the land for colonies, and the lines get drawn. I actually know where they made the final decisions - at a conference in Berlin. So there are some river or mountain borders here and there, but a lot of it's just dawn out with a ruler. // CFA soldier 1:With no thought for the locals, huh? // CFA soldier 2:Right. But the lines have stayed the same ever since. Even if the names and governments of the countries haven't. // CFA soldier 1:Well... I gotta go, man. // CFA soldier 2:Yeah, take it easy.