“On Sept. 26, 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov of the Soviet Army was a watch officer at a satellite surveillance facility outside of Moscow. His job was to monitor the satellites that would warn of a surprise nuclear assault from the United States. At a little past 12:30 a.m. Moscow-time, his board lit up. Petrov’s instruments were telling him that the United States had just launched a nuclear missile against the Soviet Union.”
Thanks to Colonel Stanislav Petrov for not listening to his instruments and starting World War III.