What is the doomsday clock? What is it all about?

Answer 1

There is a clock at the University of Chicago called the Doomsday Clock whose time perpetually lingers just shy of midnight. On this clock, midnight metaphorically represents full nuclear war bringing an end to all civilization, and the clock is meant as a gauge to constantly indicate humankind's proximity to this horrific event.

Answer 2

The doomsday clock represents how close the world is to suffering a civilization-ending nuclear war. Theoretically, when the clock strikes midnight, the war has begun.

The clock is currently set at an unsettling five minutes to midnight, recently advanced by nuclear developments in Iran and North Korea.

The farthest the world has been from total annihilation was 11:43pm in 1991, after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the US-Soviet cooperation in signing the START treaty that banned further nuclear tests and development.

The closest the world has been to nuclear destruction was in 1953, at the height of US-Soviet Cold War tensions, and both countries were continually making public tests of new nuclear weapons.

Answer 3

It is a representation of how close we are to a nuclear war. The closer it is to midnight the closer we are to doomsday. since it was created in the late 1940's we have never been more than 17 minutes from midnight.

Answer 4

It's a symbolic thing.. an *estimate* of how far from "midnight"..aka destruction by nuclear war.. the human race is.

Answer 5

nobody knows only God itself knows
but the Bible said they will have small wars and starvation
and the moon will become blue

Answer 6

i always thought it was the time we're all going to die. but i dont know, good question.

Answer 7

I think it has something to do with chemical warfare. *sigh*