Not to be confused with biblical prophecy or the Mayan calendar, the so-called Doomsday Clock owes its existence to scientists and engineers, or at least those who’ve been affiliated with the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
The global security and public policy magazine has adjusted the minute hand on the clock 19 times since its inception in 1947, to “convey how close humanity is to catastrophic destruction.” It was closest, according to the bulletin timeline – at 2 minutes to midnight – in 1953, when the United States “tested its first thermonuclear device, obliterating a Pacific Ocean islet in the process; nine months later, the Soviets test an H-bomb of their own.”
No comments:
Post a Comment