Knox Event

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Spoiler warning!

The following contains unhidden spoilers pertaining to the story of Project Zomboid. Proceed at your own risk.

“

This thing, let's call it 'The Knox Event', feels like a powder keg.

— Judge Matt Hass

The Knox Event is used to refer to the zombie outbreak that occurs prior to and throughout the game. The event first takes place around Muldraugh and West Point, Kentucky. The incident is considered to have begun on the 4th of July, 1993, American Day of Independence. Just two days later the military evacuated residences from around the affected area and set up blockades in what is now known as the Knox Evacuation. The affected area is given the name: the Exclusion Zone, with the primary camp being south of Louisville.

Timeline

Date	Event(s)
Weeks prior	Foul smell in the air first noticed.
July 1 (Thursday), 1993 (Day -8)	Knox Telecommunications takes phone lines down for maintenance.
July 4 (Sunday), 1993 (Day -5)	Americans celebrate Independence Day.
July 6 (Tuesday), 1993 (Day -3)	0600 EDT: US military blocks roads in area of Kentucky nicknamed 'Knox Country'. No reason is given. Areas within blockade include Muldraugh, West Point, Brandenburg, and Fort Knox itself. 1100 EDT: Military personnel erect fences and checkpoints within the Knox Exclusion Zone. Entrance and exit are forbidden. Reports of residents being turned away at gunpoint. 1320 EDT: Personnel in hazmat gear are seen within the Exclusion Zone. Air activity increases. 1800 EDT: Military clears traffic and members of the public from perimeter of Exclusion Zone. Some residents sleep in their cars, others walk north along highway to Louisville. 2300 EDT: Lightning storms over Louisville. No rain reported.
July 7 (Wednesday), 1993 (Day -2)	0900 EDT: Phoneline outage continues within Exclusion Zone. Communication with Zone remains impossible. Knox Telecommunications provides no comment. 1045 EDT: Fort Knox and Fort Campbell cancel leave for military personnel. 1200 EDT: Kentucky Governor Cal Fairweather claims he is "in the dark like everyone else" regarding rumors of illness outbreak inside the Exclusion Zone. 1615 EDT: White House Press Secretary denies President's early return from G7 summit in Tokyo related to Knox situation. 2300 EDT: Unusually bright meteor shower spotted over Kentucky.
July 8 (Thursday), 1993 (Day -1)	0900 EDT: Phoneline outage continues within Exclusion Zone. Communication with Zone remains impossible. Knox Telecommunications provides no comment. 1330 EDT: Reports of "mild sickness" spreading among some who have been left inside the Exclusion Zone. 1400 EDT: White House representatives claim military maneuvers part of 'long held and long term strategy' to deal with 'security events and localized contamination'. 1455 EDT: President heavily criticized by Republicans in Congress for a lack of statement on the Knox Event. 1745 EDT: More military personnel arrive from Fort Campbell. No-fly zone established over Knox.
July 9 (Friday), 1993 (Day 0)	Game begins, three days after the Knox Evacuation. 0900 EDT: Rumors of continued escalation of the infection. The exact details remain unknown to the public. Civilian channels spread fear and concern. 1100 EDT: General John McGrew, commander of Knox Zone personnel, appeals for calm, confirms sickness within Zone leads to "panic and confusion" but claims no evidence of fatalities. 1500 EDT: Gunshots heard within the Exclusion Zone close to the border perimeter. 1800 EDT: President issues statement, states faith in military, General McGrew, and Center for Disease Control to control 'Knox Virus'. 2330 EDT: Former CDC official Dr. Jeff Galbraithe claims chronic CDC underfunding and bureaucratic infighting will hamper response to Knox outbreak.
July 10 (Saturday), 1993 (Day 1)	0930 EDT: Professor Jake Wilson, working with the military, claims transmission of the illness has 'slowed'. 1200 EDT: The CDC criticizes Dr. Jeff Galbraithe for claims, say Galbraithe trying to 'score points due to his dismissal following Raleigh outbreak.' 1330 EDT: The CDC retracts their previous statement, which they say was "released without authorization. We all respect Dr. Galbraithe's candor, along with his many major achievements during his years at the CDC." 1500 EDT: UK Prime Minister criticizes US President for a 'near complete lack of clarity' about the Knox Event. 1600 EDT: Unrest in Washington as protestors demand answers about Knox Event. Proposed march on White House canceled as police make arrests.
July 11(Sunday), 1993 (Day 2)	0000 EDT: Anger brews throughout US about lack of information on the 'Knox Event'. Riots in Washington D.C., New York, Los Angeles. 0515 EDT: President gives statement denouncing riots, claims he will provide "full information" about Knox Event when he has it. 0900 EDT: Waves of panic buying throughout the US. Shortages of many major goods, including toilet paper. 1230 EDT: European Community advises member states to close internal and external borders. 1330 EDT: World Health Organization advises all non-military or medical flights worldwide to be grounded from 6pm. The move is criticized by airlines, but all say they will comply with the advice. 1335 EDT: Stock markets plunge worldwide following WHO advice. 1400 EDT: President issues statement calling WHO's advice "economically unsound" and that Knox Event "is contained". 1930 EDT: Knox Exclusion Zone boundary widened. More residents forcibly displaced as peacekeeping forces are deployed throughout the US. A quarantine camp within the Exclusion Zone is abandoned with its holding cells left unlocked.
July 12 (Monday), 1993 (Day 3)	0000 EDT: Riots in many American cities. At least one killed in New York, many injured in Miami. Military personnel are called in to help police. 0815 EDT: Civilian radio transmission comes from within Zone, alleges situation much more serious than military claims. Accusations of sniper fire on civilians are made. 0830 EDT: President announces curfew in major cities from 6pm this evening. 0917 EDT: Major earthquake strikes off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan. 1200 EDT: US military set up temporary installations in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and other cities. 1800 EDT: Curfew comes into effect in major cities across US. 1900 EDT: New wave of panic unleashed by photo from West Point, in Knox Event Zone. Photo shows young man, dismembered but still living, in street full of dead bodies. Interference from an unknown source impacts radio and television broadcasts.
July 13 (Tuesday), 1993 (Day 4)	1100 EDT: Media interviews with numerous survivors released from military captivity within Zone paint grim picture of hundreds of infected "hunting" the living, spreading the infection through bites and other acts of extreme violence. 1215 EDT: 38 nations issue joint statement through United Nations denouncing "complete lack of clarity" from American authorities over details of the Knox Event. 1530 EDT: Vatican City's Swiss Guard orders all visitors to the city to evacuate and the city to be closed, against the wishes of the Pope. 1600 EDT: Curfew announced for Chicago, San Diego, Baltimore. 1700 EDT: Saudi Arabia announces Mecca, Islam's holiest city, will be evacuated and "secured". 1930 EDT: General McGrew gives speech, states there is "no need for further panic", sufferers are "not deceased", and search for cure is ongoing.
July 14 (Wednesday), 1993 (Day 5)	0130 EDT: President leaves White House, passing through angry crowds. 0800 EDT: A protest by residents inside Exclusion Zone results in shooting of two unarmed individuals. 1100 EDT: Violence between military personnel and trapped Knox residents. Numerous fatalities, mostly civilian. 1200 EDT: White House releases pre-recorded statement by the President asking for calm, saying 'deliberate action' will soon be taken in the Knox Zone. 1500 EDT: Despite heavy live fire, large numbers of infected, attracted by sounds of battle, reach Exclusion Zone's border fence. Minor breaches occur in fence. 1700 EDT: The sounds of battle continue to attract infected to the border fence. Larger breaches occur in the fence. Some military units begin pulling back. Panic ripples through border camp. 1900 EDT: Ongoing sounds of battle attract thousands of infected from a large area of the Exclusion Zone. Military has limited success in corraling and splintering hordes. Panic in Louisville suburbs.
July 15 (Thursday), 1993 (Day 6)	0700 EDT: Intense overnight battles near Knox Boundary camp fail to stop tide of infected. Military begins pulling back north. 0800 EDT: Some localized successes by bands of armed citizens, aided by soldiers defying evacuation order, in fighting small groups of the infected. 0900 EDT: First reports of people falling sick with what is assumed to be the 'Knox Virus', without being bitten. 1000 EDT: Numerous camp survivors shot or beaten to death by angry mobs for showing signs of sickness. 1600 EDT: Growing number of reports of 'Knox Virus' symptoms among military personnel and survivors from Boundary camp who avoided being bitten. 1800 EDT: First carriers of 'aerial strain' of Knox Infection die and 'turn'. Many are already inside Louisville, or over the Ohio bridge. At least 95% of camp survivors and Zone military personnel ill. Hasty quarantines. Summary executions.
July 16 (Friday), 1993 (Day 7)	0500 EDT: White House issues advice 'not to panic', for population to stay in their homes. The location of the President is unknown. 1000 EDT: Majority of Louisville's population now ill with the Knox sickness. Thousands 'turning' every hour. Hospitals overrun. 1200 EDT: Bridges over the Ohio river are demolished by the military. Hundreds of civilians are killed. 1415 EDT: The British Queen elects to stay behind in Windsor Castle, as Royal Family evacuates to unknown location.
July 17 (Saturday), 1993 (Day 8)	0830 EDT: Knox illness confirmed in: Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio. Norfolk, Newcastle, and London, England. Mogadishu, Somalia. Seoul, South Korea, Okinawa, Japan. 1200 EDT: Recorded broadcast from General McGrew broadcast nationally, to the few immune to the 'second wave' of the Knox Event illness. Says these are 'dark days' but we will prevail. The broadcast repeats on subsequent days.
July 18 (Sunday), 1993 (Day 9)	0830 EDT Knox illness confirmed in: New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Tokyo. 1030 EDT Belgian troops take position in their country's array of Liège forts for the first time since the Second World War. 1400 EDT Most American radio and television programs cease, or are replaced with an Emergency Broadcast.
July 19 (Monday), 1993 (Day 10)	0505 EDT National Guard units in New York attempt to secure the prison complex on Riker's Island. 0800 EDT The Australian Prime Minister looks visibly ill. 0915 EDT North Korea destroys bridges and blocks roads linking it with China. The Knox Infection is spotted in Gezira, Roda Island, Qorsa, and other regions within Cairo, Egypt. The Russian Government leaves Moscow for Mount Yamantau.
July 20 (Tuesday), 1993 (Day 11)	The Knox Infection is spreading uncontrollably across the planet. The Seikan Tunnel is destroyed by the Japanese military, leaving thousands trapped on both Hokkaido Island and the mainland. South Korea destroys Hangang Bridge.
July 21 (Wednesday), 1993 (Day 12)	Battles against infected hordes occur around the world. Core members of the Thai Government attempt evacuation via helicopter to Bhubing Palace. Their fate is unknown. Intense fighting with the infected occurs within the vicinity of the Castle of the Moors near Lisbon, Portugal.
July 22 (Thursday), 1993 (Day 13)	The Wilanów Palace in Warsaw, Poland catches fire. Knox sickness now found in every nation on Earth.
July 23 (Friday), 1993 (Day 14)	The Dutch Government resorts to mass-flooding Amsterdam in an attempt to slow the infection. Millions of refugees accelerate the Knox Infection's spread.
July 24 (Saturday), 1993 (Day 15)	The majority of Earth's population are now sick with the Knox Infection.
July 25 (Sunday), 1993 (Day 16)	Cries of horror flood the world's airwaves as they begin to go silent.
July 26 (Monday), 1993 (Day 17)	The Forbidden City in China is confirmed to be overrun with the infected. Contact is lost with the Central Military Commission.
July 27 (Tuesday), 1993 (Day 18)	Billions are dead from the Knox Infection across the globe.
July 28 (Wednesday), 1993 (Day 19)	Almost everyone falls to the Knox Infection. Only small groups of immune survivors remain.

Rumored outbreak causes

• A bad smell had been in the air for weeks before the blockade went up, many believe that's how you get sick, once it gets in your lungs, you're done.
  "You can smell it in the air. Something's smelled bad for weeks, it gets into your lungs. That's what's behind it." - Christian: Caller on KnoxTalk
• Many people believe something in the Spiffo's meat is the cause of the outbreak; the next evolutionary step for Mad Cow disease.
  "I've been warning people for years. It's in the meat. We've been feeding our cows on their own kind. Misfolded prions. Brain matter fed back into the food chain. These prions have been building up in countless generations of cattle. This is quite clearly a neurological disorder." - Professor Peter Endsleigh
• Religious folk believe that Man is paying for their sins, and that this is the work of God.
  "The end is at hand. America has sinned. Every day I look to our streets and I see depravity and wickedness. A nation tainted by perverts and sinners." - Pastor Samuels
• The outbreak occurring so close to Independence Day can't be a coincidence, it must be terrorism.
  "Terrorism. Terrorism is my point. They've been coming for us for years. This is their moment." - Francine: Caller on KnoxTalk

Trivia

• As expected, comparing the dates in the magazines teased in the blog, dates in The Kentucky Herald magazine match dates in real life. The National Dispatch magazine does not show the days of the week.

Gallery

This article contains outdated/low-quality images.

Reason: Might need revisiting once b42 has been released, regarding the newspaper and whatnot

Please help the PZwiki by uploading an improved/updated version of the image(s) found on this page.

• 

  Real-life calendar of 1993

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  Day of the week shown in The Kentucky Herald

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  Newspaper on the lockdown of Knox County early into the Knox Event

See also

• Businesses
• General John McGrew
• Jackie Jaye
• Knox Country
• Knox Infection

External links

• The Knox Event in Real Time (X)