The Doomsday Clock was created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1947, with the now-iconic clock design drawn by artist Martyl Langsdorf for the magazine’s cover. The scientific concept behind the Clock grew out of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago, a group of Manhattan Project physicists who founded the Bulletin to warn the public about the dangers of nuclear weapons.

Quick Scoop: Who created the Doomsday Clock?

  • The organization behind the Doomsday Clock is the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, a group established in 1945 by scientists involved in the Manhattan Project who were alarmed by nuclear weapons.
  • The visual clock design was created by artist Martyl Langsdorf, who was asked to design a cover for the Bulletin’s magazine in 1947 and chose the partial clock face set close to midnight to convey urgency.
  • The Clock first appeared on the Bulletin’s cover in 1947, originally set at seven minutes to midnight, as a symbolic warning that humanity was already dangerously close to nuclear catastrophe.

A bit of story

In the late 1940s, scientists who had helped build the first atomic bombs wanted a powerful symbol that would speak to the public more strongly than technical reports or policy memos. They turned to Martyl Langsdorf, who distilled their fear and urgency into a stark, minimalist clock creeping toward midnight—an image that has since become one of the most recognizable symbols of global existential risk.

In simple terms:
The scientists created the idea of the Doomsday Clock, and Martyl Langsdorf created the look of the Doomsday Clock.

TL;DR:

  • Concept and institution: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (founded by Manhattan Project scientists).
  • Graphic design and specific clock image: artist Martyl Langsdorf, 1947.

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