Valve’s mind-bending puzzler Portal contained some of the most innovative and compelling game design in recent memory, but perhaps the most memorable aspect of the game was its narrative and story structure. Giving players just enough info to keep them wanting to know more, creating hidden areas scrawled with cryptic messages about cakes and lies, and don’t even get me started of GLaDOS.

And of course the very setting itself, Aperture Science, radiated such an unsettling sense of quiet evil just below the surface that you never felt entirely comfortable, and it was glorious. But that’s Valve for you; and that’s why it’s not at all surprising that Portal’s developers constructed an elaborate and, of course, hilarious back story for Aperture Science while they were making the first game.

Thanks to Game Informer, Portal fans can now learn even more about their favorite creepy research facility as they count down the days to Portal 2’s release later this year. Definitely check out the full history, because it's amazing. I mean, this is how it starts:

"1953 – Aperture Science begins operations as a manufacturer of shower curtains. Early product line provides a very low-tech portal between the inside and outside of your shower. Very little science is actually involved. The name is chosen to make the curtains appear more hygienic."

Amazing, right?

Source: Game Informer