Modern times

Modern Times refers to the period between (and including) 1900 and 2012 CE. This era saw the overall decline of the Assassins and ascendance of the Templars, including Desmond Miles's capture for use in the Animus project.

Thefts and Murders
The Templars were able to recover several Pieces of Eden during this period, typically by murdering the previous owner. Amongst their victims were Harry Houdini, MK Gandhi and John F. Kennedy. Nikola Tesla also lost his Apple of Eden (but not his life) to the Templars ; this motivated Tesla to help the Assassins in destroying The Staff (below).

The Staff
At some point before June 1908, Grigori Rasputin stole The Staff of Eden from Czar Nicholas II of Russia. Without the Staff, Nicholas could not control his people and this ultimately led to the Russian Revolution. It is unclear if Rasputin himself was a Templar, but by June 1908 the Staff had been taken to a Templar research station in Tunguska. Before the Templars could take advantage of the artefact, however, the Assassins and Nikola Tesla destroyed the facility.

World War II
The Templars orchestrated Adolf Hitler's rise to power by granting him an Apple of Eden. Although the aim of Templar hegemony was accomplished, Hitler himself was killed by the Assassins.

The Fall
In November 2000, the Templars were able to plant a sleeper agent amongst the Assassins, who killed The Mentor of the order. By September 2012, the Templars had managed to locate and destroy virtually every Assassin encampment around the world.

Desmond Miles's Story
By 2012, Earth has already fallen to decay. A 'Second Plague' has struck Africa, leaving 96% of the population dead in a three month period, and the continent nearly uninhabited. Another e-mail states how illegal immigration into Mexico from the United States has become widespread. The motion-picture industry has collapsed, as the last film studio closed due to piracy, and the rising prominence of video games. The U.S. and E.U. are constructing jointly owned oil platforms in the Weddell Sea. 'Hurricane Season' has become a yearly occurrence, as hurricane duration, frequency, strength, and location have increased to the point where most coastal cities must live in constant fear of the fierce storms.

In September of 2012, Abstergo Industries was being investigated for manipulating a small town's water supply, in order to test a synthetic drug referred to as New Fluoride. This has pressured Abstergo to launch their Eye-Abstergo satellite – secretly a Piece of Eden-powered mind-control device – on December 21st, sooner than planned.

To that end, Abstergo captured Desmond Miles and took him to their facility in Italy. Here Desmond experienced the memories of his ancestor Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad so that Abstergo could obtain a map showing the location of the Pieces of Eden on Earth.

Desmond escaped Abstergo with the help of fellow Assassin Lucy Stillman, who was working undercover in Abstergo. With the Assassins losing the war against the Templars, the decision was made to train Desmond as a true Assassin in the fastest possible way: use the Animus (which the Assassins had copied) to synchronise with the memories of an ancestor (in Desmond's case, Ezio Auditore da Firenze).

While reliving these memories, Desmond encountered a warning from an entity known only as Minerva, advising a natural disaster would soon recur. In order to avert planet-wide decimation, the Pieces of Eden needed to be brought to a series of temples built by Those Who Came Before.

Desmond and his companions were located by the Templars but were able to escape once more. They fled to the Assassin safehouse of Monteriggioni, where Desmond continued to relive Ezio's life in order to locate the Apple of Eden Ezio possessed.

The search led Desmond to the Colosseum Vault in Rome, which contained a secret passage leading to Santa Maria Aracoeli. Here the Assassins located Ezio's Apple within a hidden vault and attempted to retrieve it. When Desmond touched the Apple, his body was somehow possessed by one of Those Who Came Before and was used to stab Lucy Stillman in the stomach. Desmond then went into shock and slipped into unconsciousness.

After passing out, William M. ordered Desmond to be placed into an Animus. It is unclear exactly where and when the order was given, but Desmond continued to experience Ezio's memories. William and an associate were able to monitor the memories Desmond experienced, but Desmond's condition continued to deteriorate.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations
Comatose within the Animus, Desmond continued to relive the life of Ezio Auditore.

Assassins

 * Paul Bellamy
 * Rebecca Crane
 * Daniel Cross
 * Shaun Hastings
 * William M.
 * Bill Miles
 * Desmond Miles
 * Hannah Mueller
 * Nikolai Orelov
 * Subject 15
 * Subject 16
 * Lucy Stillman
 * Aleksandr Ulyanov

Templars

 * Jane Birkam
 * Thomas Edison
 * Harvey Firestone
 * Henry Ford
 * William Greer
 * Adolf Hitler
 * Aubrey Jacobs
 * Lyndon B. Johnson
 * John Pierpont Morgan
 * James Morse
 * Nancy Nilop
 * J. Robert Oppenheimer*
 * Lee Harvey Oswald
 * Grigori Rasputin
 * Richard
 * Alan Rikkin
 * Joseph Stalin
 * Warren Vidic
 * Abraham Zapruder

Unknown

 * Erudito
 * Leila Marino

* = Debatable