Seven Minutes to Midnight: The Doomsday Clock

Leave it to the History Channel to give interesting viewing at those twilight hours when sleep doesn't want to come to me. The other night/morning I found myself watch a show about the Doomsday Clock.

The historical timeline of this Doomsday Clock was quite fascinating and I learned a lot about those conflicts that truly had an impact on the stability of our world. It was also interesting to note that the clock was a significant piece of artwork for the Bulletin that publishes the thoughts of atomic scientists about their field and its effects on global tension. Originally, the clock was used by artist Martyl to show urgency, but her idea of good design to place the second hand at seven til the hour soon became the focus and its movement a reflection of current events.

It was with this artwork that propelled it to be more than just a series of lines and dots, but a reflection of humanity's anxiety for the end of the world.

I was also fascinated with the seemingly numerical symbolism that might have been utilized by the first editor of the Bulletin, Eugene Rabinowitch, who originally was the only one who reset the Doomsday Clock, where he used only the numbers 7, 3, 2, 12, and 10.

The number 7 (seven) in Christian numerology (if you so believe in such things), is known to represent the perfect number and divine abundance. According to the Bible, it is also the number of punishment, purification and penitence.

The number 3 (three) represents the Holy Trinity of Christianity and also the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. Three is also the perfect number for Chinese.

The number 2 (two) symbolizes duality of many things, including love, sexuality, sin and division. It also symbolizes existence, after 1 (one): the essence.

The number 12 (twelve) represents the completed whole, a perfect unit. It also signifies creativity (and is my favorite number).

The number 10 (ten) symbolizes matter in harmony, and represent the Creator in creation.

After Rabinowitch's death in 1973, the resetting the Doomsday Clock was taken over by the Bulletin's Board of Directors, where in 1974 moved the clock to nine minutes to doomsday (nine -9- shows patience, mediation, which maybe would be indicative of a whole group deciding what previously was individually chosen; it is also the number of finalization).

Maybe the time of the Doomsday Clock represents more than just the face value of the warning?

The last time change for this art was on February 27, 2002 from ten minutes to seven minutes. When will it change again?