Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov, former lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defense Forces, a pity that at BR24 could not at least mention his name, mainly a former spy and former teacher of the peace movement, but just not the name of the man who saved us. To him we owe that he reacted prudently in the right moment and despite false alarm, did not press the red button. In an interview he once said that it seemed strange to him and he could not imagine that the USA would attack the Soviet Union with only 5 missiles. Probably many owe him their lives today, because many would not have been born today if he had not acted correctly.
He died in 2017, may he rest in peace and may his name not be forgotten.
Excerpt from Wikipedia:
On September 26, 2018, MIT professor Max Tegmark honored Petrow at a ceremony at the New York Museum of Mathematics with the $50,000 endowed Future of Life Award of the Future of Life Institute. Former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said on the occasion:
"It is hard to imagine anything more devastating to humanity than an all-out nuclear war between Russia and the United States. And yet, by chance, it could have happened on September 26, 1983, if Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov had not decided so wisely. For this he deserves the deep gratitude of mankind. Let us resolve to work together to realize a world without fear of nuclear weapons, remembering the courageous judgment of Stanislav Petrov."
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