On this day in 1983, Soviet military officer Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov made a decision that may have saved the world from nuclear war.
In the early hours of 26 September, Soviet early-warning systems reported that five US nuclear missiles had been launched toward the USSR. Protocol required Petrov to immediately relay the alert, which would have triggered a retaliatory strike.
Instead, Petrov judged the warning to be a false alarm. He reasoned that the United States would not launch only five missiles in a first strike, and trusted his instincts rather than the system.
He was correct: the alert had been caused by a malfunctioning satellite sensor. By refusing to escalate, Petrov prevented what could have become a catastrophic global conflict.
Though reprimanded for minor procedural lapses, Petrov was later recognised internationally as “the man who saved the world.” His calm judgement on that night remains one of the closest brushes humanity has had with nuclear war.
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