Founded By Cave Johnson, Now Owned by Wheatley

In 1947, Aperture Science's predecessor, Aperture Fixtures is founded by Cave Johnson, as a shower curtain manufacturer. The name "Aperture Fixtures", seemingly random, is chosen "to make the curtains appear more hygienic". In 1956, the Eisenhower administration signs a contract with Aperture to manufacture shower curtains to all branches of the US Military, except the Navy. From 1957 to 1973, the company produces mostly shower curtains, eventually making Cave Johnson a billionaire. Early work on the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device began at this point as well; the early version, called the Aperture Science Portable Quantum Tunneling Device, proved to be too bulky for effective use, while poor surface conductors for the portals often caused mangling or death of the test subjects when they tried to use the portals. Propulsion Gel was first developed around this time as well for use as a diet aid. At first only the brightest and best of society was chosen for testing, but after being connected to a string of astronaut disappearances, Aperture Science focuses on recruiting homeless people for testing instead starting in 1976. (Repulsion Gel was released around this time too.) As far as 1973, Aperture also uses a bulletin board system.
In 1974, Cave Johnson is exposed to mercury while secretly developing a dangerous mercury-injected rubber sheeting from which he plans to manufacture seven deadly shower curtains to be given as gifts to each member of the House Naval Appropriations committee,likely because the decision of the Navy not getting its shower curtains from Aperture depended on that committee, and Johnson probably held a grudge against them for that. In 1976, both of Cave Johnson's kidneys fail. Brain damaged, dying, and incapable of realizing time is not now flowing backwards (thus realizing his time will come soon), he lays out a three tiered research and development program. The results, he says, will "guarantee the continued success of Aperture Science far into the fast-approaching distant past.