As Putin’s aggression continues, here’s a chilling history of the ‘Doomsday Clock’ – which claims we’re minutes away from end of the world

SCIENTISTS believe that humanity is inching ever closer to total annihilation - as the minutes on the apocalyptic 'Doomsday Clock' keep on ticking down.

The 'clock' was invented by writers at the , as a way of communicating the threats to humanity's very existence.

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As the dangers of nuclear war or deadly new technologies become more prominent, the Doomsday Clock ticks ever closer to midnight - representing the point when the end truly would be nigh.

Currently, stands at three minutes to midnight, suggesting that the world is poised in one of the most precarious positions ever.

The time on the 'clock' is decided by experts sitting on the Bulletin's Science and Security Board who assess how much safer or dangerous the world is following events such as .

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As Putin's aggression shows no signs of letting up, we take a look at the history of the Doomsday Clock to explore the times when we were minutes away from annihilation.

1947 - 7 minutes to midnight

The clock was first conceived in 1947, when the magazine's founders wanted to express the threat to humanity posed by nuclear weapons.

1949 - 3 minutes to midnight

Years later, the clock is adjusted to reflect the dangers of the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons tests, which effectively started the tense arms race between the USA and the USSR.

The bulletin explained: "We do not advise Americans that doomsday is near and that they can expect atomic bombs to start falling on their heads a month or year from now.

"But we think they have reason to be deeply alarmed and to be prepared for grave decisions."

1953 - 2 minutes to midnight

As the United States tests its first Hydrogen bomb, the bulletin warns that humanity was closer than it has ever been to being wiped out in a nuclear war.

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1963 - 12 minutes to midnight

After ten years of weapons tests, the USA and the USSR finally sign the Partial Test Ban Treaty - a key indicator that the two countries wanted to work together to end the hostilities of the past decade.

1968 - 7 minutes to midnight

Things start to look precarious again as France and China develop nuclear weapons of their own and regional wars rage around the globe.

1974 - 9 minutes to midnight

India tests its first nuclear bomb in the years after the USA and USSR came together to sign more measures designed to curb risks from the nuclear arms race.

1981 - 4 minutes to midnight

The relationship between the two nuclear powers starts to turn icy again as Ronald Reagan vows to press on with the arms race.

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1984 - 3 minutes to midnight

Things look even bleaker when dialogue between the USSR and USA collapses.

1990 - 10 minutes to midnight

Following years of Cold War tensions, the USSR itself collapses - and humanity can breathe again following the fall of the Berlin Wall in late 1989.

1991 - 17 minutes to midnight

The Cold War is declared well and truly over and the nuclear threats cease entirely - marking the safest point since the clock was devised.

1998 - 8 minutes to midnight

India and Pakistan start testing increasingly deadly nuclear weapons, as a resurgent Russia and America refuse to dispose of their vast nuclear stockpiles.

2007 - 5 minutes to midnight

North Korea tests nuclear weapons as Russia and the USA enter a new age of nuclear tension.

2016 - 3 minutes to midnight

Today, the clock stands at one of the closest points to midnight it's ever been, with Russia and America facing the iciest point since the Cold War.