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Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, and University of Chicago scientists founded the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 1945. The famous Doomsday Clock was created two years later and reset every year by the Bulletin’s Science and Security Board in consultation with the Board of Sponsors, including eight Nobel laureates.

Manhattan Project scientists felt obligated to educate the public about the catastrophic implications of nuclear weapons, especially after US bombings of Hiroshima (Aug.6, 1945 – 80,000 instant deaths, 140,000 by year end) and Nagasaki (Aug. 9, 1945 – approximately 40,000 instant deaths, 80,000 by year end).”Little Boy” dropped on Hiroshima was 15-kilotons. Today’s thermonuclear weapons are well over 100-kilotons up to a megaton (a megaton equals 1,000 kilotons).

According to data provided by ICAN, one thermonuclear weapon detonated over NYC would ignite a fireball wider than one mile instantly vaporizing people and buildings on initial impact within that radius. Additionally, the thermal pulse or intense flash of light and heat would cause third-degree burns and inflame infrastructure 7-8 miles away. Then a firestorm would consume the city for as much as 150 square miles.

The initial setting for the iconic clock in 1947 was seven (7) minutes to midnight. The world-famous clock symbolizes the vulnerability to global catastrophe via human-made technology. The scientists were hopeful of preventing a nuclear arms race. Oops! As of 2026, nine nations possess approximately 12,330 nuclear warheads (Russia 5459; US 5277; China 600; France 290; UK 225; India 180; Pakistan 170; Israel 90; No. Korea 50).

Risks never looked so ominous. In plain English, as of January 27th, 2026, the new clock setting is more foreboding than ever before at 85 seconds to midnight. Accordingly, since the onset of the clock in 1947, world affairs have succumbed to the lowest level in generations. It’s as if the world is trapped in a vortex of blundering, ineptitude, and........

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