What Is 7 Minutes to Midnight on the Doomsday Clock?
Seven minutes to midnight was the original setting of the Doomsday Clock when it was created in 1947 by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. Artist Martyl Langsdorf designed the clock face with this initial setting.
The Original 1947 Setting
In 1947, the world's biggest nuclear concern was the growing atomic arsenal. The clock has since ranged from 17 minutes (1991) to today's record-low 85 seconds to midnight.