The first A Quiet Place movie may not have explicitly revealed when the central alien invasion started, but it drops one subtle clue that discloses the exact date of the apocalypse’s inception. Directed by John Krasinski, A Quiet Place premiered in 2018 and instantly garnered optimistic reviews from viewers and critics. The positive word-of-mouth around the film helped it gross close to $341 million against a relatively meager budget of $17 million. For obvious reasons, the movie’s overwhelming box office success spawned a sequel, A Quiet Place Part II, which was released in 2020.

Even though A Quiet Place Part II could not match its predecessor’s box office numbers, it effectively expanded the franchise’s lore and worldbuilding by revealing more about the central alien creatures and introducing several new characters. However, despite delving into the details of what likely happened on “Day 1” of the invasion, the movies never reveal the actual date of the invasion’s commencement. The third film, A Quiet Place: Day One, harkens back to the beginning of the invasion, which makes one even more curious about the exact date of the beginning of the end.

The Aliens Arrived On Earth On June 17, 2020

Almost Two Weeks Before Independence Day

2018’s A Quiet Place features a shot of a calendar that reveals that October 3, 2021, is Day 473 after the inception of the invasion. Going back from there confirms that the aliens first landed on Earth on June 17, 2020. Since the third installment in the franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One, is a prequel that walks through everything from the origins of the alien invasion to its immediate aftermath, its story begins on June 17, 2020, and explores the chaos and devastation that consumes humanity in the days that follow.

Interestingly, since June 17 falls only two weeks before July 4th, which is celebrated as Independence Day in the United States, people in the central American setting of the film were likely preparing for a joyous celebration. Given how July 4th is also often celebrated with fireworks, many stores in the United States were likely brimming with myriad firecrackers before the alien invasion ensued. This explains why the Abbott family in 2018’s A Quiet Place had so many fireworks in their fields.

What Happened When The Aliens First Invaded

Humans Were Helpless Against The Violent Creatures

Right after the landing in several major cities on Earth, the aliens started attacking unsuspecting humans. Within the first hours of the invasion, many perished since humans were unaware of the aliens’ strengths and weaknesses. Since most humans panicked and generated more noise after watching the aliens slaughter several innocents, the aliens’ job of invading Earth only became easier. Only the humans who understood that the aliens had no sight and only hypersensitive hearing survived the initial attack. As Lee’s newspaper clippings in the first film reveal, the U.S. military also struggled to eradicate the alien threat.

Although the military attempted to wage a war against the creatures, most weapons were likely useless against the aliens’ tough armored skin. And before the armed forces could understand what they were up against, it was already too late. The US National Guard tried to send humans to islands after learning that the aliens cannot swim. Unfortunately, even though this action saved a few lives in A Quiet Place‘s universe, most humans could not escape to nearby islands on time. Eventually, the human population dwindled, leading to societal collapse and forcing survivors to fend for themselves.