In September 1983, Soviet missile launch warning alarms began blasting as the Soviet Union received a warning from its missile warning system that an intercontinental ballistic missile was launched from the United States and heading toward the Soviet Union.
A directive called for military forces to launch their missiles at the United States the moment a warning was received, but a cool-headed Lt. Colonel Stanislav Petrov dismissed the warning as a computer error, however, shortly afterward, the missile warning alarms blasted again only this time its early warning system was reporting four additional missile launches from the United States toward the Soviet Union, at which time Lt. Colonel Petrov was to give the order to launch Soviet missiles toward the United States and had he made the wrong decision, Soviet missiles would have been launched and World War III would have begun, and he had to make the decision to launch as warning alarms were blasting away as the warning system continued to warn of approaching missiles, but he hesitated, which was against Soviet policy.
An investigation revealed the missile warnings were caused by Soviet early warning satellites confusing reflective sunlight from high altitude clouds as missile launches. Even though Lt. Colonel Petrov went against Soviet launch policy by not launching Soviet missiles toward the United States, he made the correct decision and as a result of his correct decision, millions of people are alive today.
Had a wrong person been in charge at the time, the world would be a different place today with less people. I might add that wasn't the only time we came close to World War III.
Edited by skyeagle409, 28 January 2013 - 07:04 PM.