Petrov Ignores False Alarm: Nuclear War Averted
Stanislav Petrov ignored four satellite warnings of incoming U.S. nuclear missiles, correctly identifying a rare sunlight reflection on high-altitude clouds as a system glitch rather than an attack. His refusal to trigger a retaliatory launch prevented a full-scale nuclear war that would have followed the Soviet Union's "launch on warning" doctrine. This single act of human judgment stopped a catastrophe born from a technical error in the early warning network.
September 26, 1983
43 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on September 26
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