This real-life hero single-handedly saved the lives of millions
And the lesson we can learn from his story
Stanislav Petrov was a lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defence Forces.
On a fateful day in the year 1983, when the cold war was at its peak, Petrov took a decision that prevented the deaths of hundreds of millions of people.
On 26th September 1983, Petrov was a few hours into his shift as the duty officer at Serpukhov-15 — a secret command center outside Moscow that monitored Soviet military satellites over the United States.
Suddenly, the alarm system went off, warning that 5 intercontinental ballistic missiles had been launched from an American base.
On seeing the alarms go off, Petrov had a decision to make. He had to report to his superiors about the incoming missiles.
Every second that he delayed conveying this information took away valuable time from Soviet Union political and military leadership.
But Petrov didn’t panic. He kept a cool head to evaluate the situation.
He knew that the alarm systems were not yet reliable since they were in their early stages. He also realized that if the Americans were really starting a war, the attack would be much larger and more intense.
In his words, “When people start a war, they don’t start it with only five missiles.”
In an interview with BBC, Petrov recounted the day,
“I eventually decided to not trust a computer. So, I picked up the telephone handset, spoke to my superiors, and reported that the alarm was false.”
“But I myself wasn’t sure until the last minute. I knew well that nobody would be able to correct my mistake if I made one.”
As it turned out, Petrov was right. The alarm signaling a missile attack was indeed false.
If Petrov had reported the attack as real that day, a worldwide nuclear war could have followed, costing the lives of millions.
His decision to disobey orders and not report the alarm is credited with saving the world.
Petrov’s story is of extraordinary calm and focus, even in the face of an incredibly stressful situation.
In our day-to-day lives, we lose our calm at the sight of the slightest inconvenience.
Petrov’s story thus teaches us what we are capable of achieving if we learn to remain calm and composed when facing challenges.
“The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.”
— Marcus Aurelius
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