The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, first appearing on the cover of the magazine that year.

Quick Scoop

  • Year created: 1947.
  • Who created it: Scientists of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, many of whom worked on the Manhattan Project.
  • First appearance: As a clock graphic on the cover of the Bulletin’s June 1947 magazine issue.
  • Original setting: 7 minutes to midnight, symbolizing how close humanity was thought to be to nuclear catastrophe at the time.

Why it was created

Right after World War II and the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, nuclear scientists were alarmed at the danger of nuclear weapons and wanted a powerful visual symbol to warn the public and policymakers. The clock face—creeping toward “midnight” as doomsday—was meant to “frighten men into rationality” by showing how near global catastrophe might be if nuclear risks were not controlled.

In today’s context, the clock has expanded from only nuclear risk to also represent threats like climate change and disruptive technologies such as advanced AI, but its origin is firmly rooted in 1947 Cold War nuclear fears.

TL;DR: The Doomsday Clock was created in 1947 for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ magazine cover, originally set at 7 minutes to midnight to dramatize the risk of nuclear catastrophe.

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