The year is 1971. Richard M. Nixon is president of the Unites States of America. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty has just been ratified. Half of the country disapproves of the Vietnam War. The world is calculated to have over 3.5 billion humans living in it. The Beatles have disbanded.
Metahumans have stalked the planet since WWI, when widespread use of chemical warfare revealed that one in ten thousand soldiers would walk out of the clouds of mustard and chlorine unscathed. The ancient powers of the world looked on with grim approval as mankind rushed to master this new resource.
The day is Monday, February 22nd. Tomorrow will be Mardi Gras in the city of Baton Rouge.