There is a lot of talk on the Internet about the Doomsday Clock today. It sounds like something that might be a bit of a hoax, but there really is a Doomsday Clock. Maintained since 1947 by the board of directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) at the University of Chicago, the clock face is actually quite symbolic.
The clock uses the analogy of the human species being at a time that is "minutes to midnight", wherein midnight represents "catastrophic destruction". The number of minutes before midnight has read five minutes prior to midnight since its last change in 2007.
That time is about to change -- January 14, 2010 is the next scheduled date for the minutes to midnight to change.
Minutes to Midnight
The minutes prior to midnight measure the degree of nuclear, environmental, and technological threats to mankind and is periodically corrected. The last time it was corrected was January 17, 2007.
Since it was created in 1947, the clock has appeared on every cover of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The clock hands have been set eighteen times, since its initial start at seven minutes to midnight in 1947.
The Doomsday Clock in Pop Culture
The Doomsday Clock has been used over the years in many songs, televisions shows and movies. Some of the references to the Doomsday Clock include:
The first musical reference to the clock was Wah! Heat's single, Seven Minutes to Midnight of September 1980.
In the 2008 movie Swing Vote, President Andrew Boone (played by Kelsey Grammer) refers to the Doomsday Clock in his first conversation with Bud Johnson
The Doomsday Clock is alluded to throughout "2 Minutes to Midnight", a single from Iron Maiden's album Powerslave.
Madonna's song titled "4 Minutes (to Save The World)" is a reference to the clock.
The Heroes episode "Seven Minutes to Midnight" aired in 2006, when the clock was set at seven minutes to midnight.
What time on January 14, 2010 will the Doomsday Clock change
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will move the minute hand of its famous Doomsday Clock at 10 a.m. EST January 14, 2010 in New York City.
Written by Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com
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