When I was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, nuclear war was considered a real possibility. Every home-improvement show I remember attending had at least one contractor selling fallout shelters. But with the end of the Cold War, we don’t have to worry about that any more, do we?

Actually, there is one organization who thinks we do: the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, a non-profit organization that is concerned about humankind’s security being jeopardized by technological advances. The Bulletin maintains a free website (https://thebulletin.org/) and since 1945 has published a bi-monthly, nontechnical academic journal. Founded by such luminaries as Albert Einstein and Manhattan Project scientists as the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists of Chicago following the use of two atomic bombs to end World War II, the organization is perhaps most famous for maintaining the Doomsday Clock. Use of the word “doomsday” is absolutely intentional, the purpose being to remind everyone how close they think we are to global disaster. Originally set at seven minutes to midnight in 1947, the clock is updated every January. It currently stands at only 89 seconds to midnight, a drop of one second as announced on January 28, 2025.

As a further reminder of the destruction of nuclear war, Alex Wellerstein, a professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, maintains a Nukemap to let anyone try out nuclear weapons. Simply position the cursor to anywhere in the world (or preselect a major city), choose a warhead yield (also with preselections), and press Detonate. Curious about what Hiroshima’s “Little Boy” device wouldn’t done to your hometown? Have at it.

So if you’re really interested in doomsday and nuclear weapons, or are simply looking for a realistic horror game, go to https://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/ and create all the mayhem you’d like.

Have a nice day!