A Choice That Saved Humanity

“This almost ended humanity" humanity. During the Cold War, nuclear weapons

were on constant alert. One night in 1983, a Soviet early-warning system suddenly

detected incoming missiles. Not one. Several. According to protocol,

retaliation was expected immediately. The system claimed the missiles were launched from the

United States. Alarms were blaring. Screens were flashing. The world had minutes left.

But one officer hesitated. His name was Stanislav Petrov. He questioned the

data. He believed a real attack wouldn’t involve just a few missiles.

So he made a choice. He reported it as a false alarm. He was right. Sunlight reflecting