Project Timeline

The following timeline has been reconstructed from available documents, public records, and testimony. Dates are approximate unless otherwise noted. Events marked with [UNVERIFIED] are based on single-source information.

• 1962 — Project Sibyl approved by Department of Defense. Initial budget: REDACTED. Project lead: Dr. Eleanor Vance.
• 1963 — Theoretical framework for ORACLE system completed. Site selection process begins.
• 1964 — Construction of ORACLE system initiated at dedicated facility in REDACTED, New Mexico. 47 personnel assigned to project.
• 1965 — ORACLE enters operational status. First tests described in internal memos as "extremely promising." Initial accuracy rate on verified predictions: 71%.
• 1966 — System refinements continue. Accuracy rate improves to 84%. First personnel concerns noted regarding "unusual output patterns." [UNVERIFIED]
• 1967 — Internal reports document "unsolicited output behavior." System begins generating predictions without direct queries. Investigation initiated. Accuracy rate exceeds 90%.
• 1968 — Outputs #042 and #043 recorded (March, June). Correlation with subsequent events noted internally. Project security protocols significantly enhanced. Several personnel request transfers. [UNVERIFIED]
• 1969, April — Internal memorandum recommends project termination. Recommendation forwarded to REDACTED.
• 1969, September 1 — ORACLE generates Output #087, predicting its own shutdown date. Security protocol BLACKOUT initiated.
• 1969, September 12 — Project Sibyl officially terminated. ORACLE system deactivated at 14:00 EST. All personnel dispersed. Lifetime non-disclosure agreements signed.
• 1970 — Facility in New Mexico decommissioned. Equipment reportedly destroyed. [UNVERIFIED]
• 1972 — James Whitmore, former ORACLE technician, reported missing. Last known location: Flagstaff, Arizona. Never found.
• 1974 — Leonard Hoffman, former systems analyst, last seen at academic conference in Berkeley, California.
• 1976 — Hoffman officially declared missing.
• 1982 — Hoffman resurfaces briefly. Provides deposition to independent researcher Dr. Marcus Webb. Disappears again within weeks.
• 1984 — Dr. Marcus Webb dies in automobile accident. Research notes never recovered.
• 1989 — [Alleged correlation: Output #088 referenced a "wall of shame" falling "when the century almost ends." Berlin Wall fell November 9, 1989.]
• 2001 — [Alleged correlation: Output #089 referenced "twin towers," "September sky," and "two thousand one." Status of this correlation remains under analysis.]
• 2018 — Hoffman interview recording discovered in university library, misfiled among unrelated materials.
• 2019 — Journal belonging to James Whitmore discovered at estate auction. Acquired by anonymous collector.
• 2020–2023 — [Alleged correlation: Output #090 referenced "a plague with no name" that would "stop the world." Interpretation disputed.]
• 2024 — Original ORACLE server hardware located in lot of discarded equipment at federal surplus auction. Acquired by private party. Data partially recovered. Server contained Output #120, dated after official system shutdown.
• 2025 — This archive established.

Note on Sources

This timeline relies on documents of varying authenticity levels. Government documents obtained via FOIA are marked with their release dates in the document index. Testimony from Leonard Hoffman (1982) has not been independently corroborated. The Whitmore journal has not been authenticated.

I present what I find. I do not vouch for its veracity.