Stanislav Petrov, AKA "the man who saved the world" dies at 77

ubersonic · 19 Sep 2017 at 13:41

Genuine feels here, Stan's cold war story was always one of the coolest documentaries.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-41314948

For those who never heard of him, he was in charge of the USSR's early warning system in the 80's, one day all hell broke lose because a rare alignment of sunlight on high-altitude clouds tricked the Soviet satellites into thinking they were seeing incoming ICBMs. Petrov was convinced from the data it was a false alarm but knew if he reported it to command they would launch an immediate retaliatory strike, so he kept quiet until the over the horizon radar could confirm the false alarm. He was reprimanded for his actions and it ended his career, but when the incident became known in the 90's he became known as the man who saved the world, for his part in averting a nuclear apocalypse.

Conscript · 19 Sep 2017 at 13:48

I saw this earlier, and I admit I'd never heard of him, but it sounds like a fascinating and terrifying story. Imagine the terror of suddenly finding yourself in that situation and having to make that call. Think I know who I'll be reading about for the rest of my lunch break.

RIP.

TheMightyTen · 19 Sep 2017 at 14:15

A true hero of the Human race. To make the call that he did under the circumstances and when added to the consideration of the lack of flexibility in making initiative calls allowed to Soviet military he well and truly put his life on the line and there's every possibility that we are only here now because he did.

RIP Podpolkovnik Petrov I'll knock back a Stolichnaya in your memory tonight!

Aa83 · 19 Sep 2017 at 14:27

I never heard of this guy until his death which is sad. Restores your faith in humanity. No matter what side you're on, there are still decent, reasonable people willing to put their neck on the line for others.

Hades · 19 Sep 2017 at 14:31

I had heard this story before. RIP. They must have been a very difficult three minutes for him.

ElliorR · 19 Sep 2017 at 15:57

I had heard of him but it seems I'm in the minority. We focus on the wrong people for fame and celebrity in this day and age and most people haven't heard of someone who truly contributed to humanity.

Well played my good man, well played.

Jamesyboyjim · 19 Sep 2017 at 16:11

Read about this man today, what a hero! He saved countless lives!

robfosters · 19 Sep 2017 at 16:38

RIP. I don't think anyone in the world has ever had a decision that important rest on their shoulders.

413x · 19 Sep 2017 at 18:54

Thanks for posting. Never comment on these type of threads but this guy genuinely saved the world. Not some waste of space celebrity.

Rip.
I heard about the story, didn't know his name

zophiel · 19 Sep 2017 at 19:18

Me also I had seen a documentary or short film about it a while ago, but didnt remember the name until i read the news article.

arctine · 19 Sep 2017 at 19:51

Guys, I hate to interrupt this display of pretentious condolence but this man died in May.

Diddums · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:11

arctine said:
Guys, I hate to interrupt this display of pretentious condolence but this man died in May.

And this was hidden behind the iron curtain all these months, hence why it's reported today.

4K8KW10 · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:11

RIP

arctine said:
Guys, I hate to interrupt this display of pretentious condolence but this man died in May.

You are right but there are also very strong evidence released now that the humans HAVE NO control over the nukes. Humans will not be allowed to use them on this planet, or anywhere else for mass destruction.

Diddums said:
And this was hidden behind the iron curtain all these months, hence why it's reported today.

lol

arctine · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:15

Diddums said:
And this was hidden behind the iron curtain all these months, hence why it's reported today.

Not sure if serious.

Hades · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:19

arctine said:
Guys, I hate to interrupt this display of pretentious condolence but this man died in May.

Yes we're well aware of that as it's very clearly mentioned in the article. What difference does that make?

4K8KW10 · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:20

Hades said:
Yes we're well aware of that as it's very clearly mentioned in the article. What difference does that make?

It's a lie for propaganda purposes - a human saves the world from self destruction?

novaenough · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:22

arctine said:
Guys, I hate to interrupt this display of pretentious condolence but this man died in May.

You are quite correct but that article says "Petrov died at his home in Moscow in May but his death has only now been made public."
So not really sure how people could've posted their condolences and appreciation till now..

Uther · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:49

ElliorR said:
I had heard of him but it seems I'm in the minority. We focus on the wrong people for fame and celebrity in this day and age and most people haven't heard of someone who truly contributed to humanity.

Well played my good man, well played.

So true!

Hades · 19 Sep 2017 at 20:50

4K8KW10 said:
It's a lie for propaganda purposes - a human saves the world from self destruction?

Which part of the story is a lie?

wordy · 19 Sep 2017 at 21:01

R.I.P, what a hero. The world is literally a better place for him being here.