Following the end of World War II, a conflict where 85 million people died, two hydrogen bombs were dropped and an entire race of people nearly wiped out from the face of the earth, scientists decided that the globe needed a marker to warn the nation’s leaders about the end of the world. Theoretical Physicists Albert Einstein and J. Robert Oppenheimer, along with other scientists from the Manhattan Project, a government effort that conceived the hydrogen bomb, created the Doomsday Clock in 1947. 

Although the bomb was used to end the brutal war, Einstein foresaw the destructive potential of its improper use.

“I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.”

The purpose of the Doomsday Clock is to warn the world of its end so that we can work to avoid it. Every second that the clock is set closer to zero signals a step closer to that irreversible doom.

The clock has fluctuated throughout its 80 years of existence, with the highest ever set at 17 minutes following the fall of the Soviet Union and the signing of the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in 1991. 

Since that point, humanity has very rapidly cut the clock down to 85 seconds, which was recently reset on Jan. 27, 2026.

While the Doomsday clock has a terrifying purpose, its message does not seal the fate of humanity. By continually making choices to seek out peace through diplomacy and choosing to take care of our planet, we can turn back time and save ourselves from the threat we created.

To read more about the Doomsday Clock, read Doomsday Clock ticks down to destruction.