“Who is Abstergo?” is a multi-part series of articles that explores the past, present, and plans for the future of Abstergo. This series is being published to create an accurate public profile of the company, and to debunk the myths surrounding its creation and operations.
Abstergo was founded in 1937 by Frank A. Vanderlip, Paul Warburg, and Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich. These men were able to apply the assembly line model – perfected by Henry Ford and Ransom “Ranny” Olds at that time – to the industry of pharmaceutical research and development. The company was primary involved in R&D up until the end of World War II. In an unfortunate turn of events, the company’s founders were found murdered, but their vision and ideas flourished. Around this time, the pharmaceutical industry boomed with Abstergo leading the way, producing key ingredients for use in many readily available medicines.
Through the 1950’s and 1960’s, the public eye turned to the skies as space exploration became a topic of great interest. In 1958, Abstergo grew its staff and decided to enter the field of technological research in an effort to help mankind step foot on the moon. As a result, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin were carried to the moon on 20 July 1969 with the help of Abstergo technology.
Using what was learned from the successful mission to the moon, Abstergo expanded even further into technological research, reaching into the field of communications by 1985. As it continued opening locations around the world, the company envisioned a way to be able to send and receive information quickly through a network. The trick was finding a way to transmit more than just an electronic signal or someone’s voice. Working with the United States government and other companies from around the world, Abstergo helped create the backbone for the modern Internet.
It was also in 1985 that Abstergo developed its most famous accomplishment. A team of researchers and engineers, led by Dr. Warren Vidic, were able to find a way to merge pharmaceutical technology with computer technology to develop the first functional Animus, a device that can search into a user’s DNA sequence and allow that user to relive ancestor’s memories embedded within, referred to as “genetic memory”.
Abstergo 