oct 1, 1956 - Barry Allen becomes The Flash

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In 1956, Barry Allen, a forensic scientist living in Central City, was struck by lightning whilst doused in various chemicals. This resulted in him gaining superhuman speed, as well as the creation of the Speed Force, an energy field that speedsters of the DC Universe can tap into to manipulate their own matter and travel between space and time itself. This transformation sparked the beginning of the Silver Age, the predecessor to the previous Golden Age, and saw the return and recasting of various superheroes from said Golden Age. Characters like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman largely retained their origins, although they were pushed forward by about 20 years in order to coincide with Barry Allen's transformation into The Flash of the Silver Age. Other characters, like Hawkman and Hawkgirl, were given completely different backstories. Some Golden Age characters were given entirely new identities, such as Green Lantern, who went from Alan Scott to Hal Jordan, The Atom, who went from Al Pratt to Ray Palmer, and of course, The Flash, who went from Jay Garrick to Barry Allen. Thought it was not yet known at the time, these were not true reboots, but rather the transition from one universe in the DC Multiverse to another, as it would later be revealed that the Golden Age had taken place on Earth-2 and the Silver Age on Earth-1.

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