The night of September 26, 1983, was one step away from ending the world as we know it. Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer, received a terrifying alarm: an American nuclear missile was headed toward the USSR. With the world on the brink of apocalypse, Petrov made a decision that changed the course of history: he ignored protocol and refused to launch a nuclear counterattack. His courage and clear-sightedness saved humanity from an unthinkable disaster.

Surrounded by fake news, Stanislav Petrov’s story teaches us about the dangers of acting on incomplete or erroneous information.