The Russian officer who saved the world from WW3

32 years ago, when early warning systems indicated the Soviet Union was under nuclear attack by the United States, air defense officer Stanislav Petrov went by gut instinct and decided the alarm was false. It was a decision that saved the human race – and ended his career.
Place: Serpukhov-15, a ballistic missile early warning command and control post south of Moscow.
Time: Just after midnight, September 26, 1983.
Officers of the elite Soviet Air Defense Force are about to begin their night shift at the top secret installation. Their commander, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, 44, pushes back in his chair and is prepared for what he thinks is yet another routine watch, when suddenly the silence of the bunker is shattered by wailing sirens.
The officers look up as their giant screens come alive and the consoles start flashing, indicating that Russia is under nuclear attack. More alarmingly, the red button near the commander’s chair starts pulsing. It’s the doomsday button for initiating the launch of thousands of Russian missiles against the West.
Petrov is an experienced hand, having been in the job since the early 1970s, but not even he is prepared to face the enormity of the crisis. His systems tell him a Molnya observation satellite has sent a signal to the bunker.
After analyzing the data transmitted by the satellite, the warning system’s computer concludes a single intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) carrying multiple nuclear warheads has been launched from the continental United States.