Petrov Day

I forgot to mention that today is Petrov Day. This is when we honor Stanislav Petrov for preventing nuclear war by recognizing that computer errors are more likely than underwhelming missile strikes. His tale is recounted across the internet; I saw it in a variety of places. He is one of the few people who can compete with Norman Borlaug for the claim of having saved a billion lives.

If your MMO in development has a chance of causing a nuclear holocaust, please do more beta testing.

: Zubon

9 thoughts on “Petrov Day”

  2. Oh joy. A soviet minion decided NOT to launch a nuclear attack on us ergo he SAVED THE WORLD.

    Oh those noble, peaceable, enlightened, freedom-loving, human-rights respecting, and not at all genocidal soviets.

    Thank goodness we didn’t do more than we did to offend them with the fact of our existence. Perhaps if we all had to the good sense to just up and kill ourselves now we can save the muslim fascists the trouble of having to refrain from killing us like the soviets did.

  3. I have to agree with Stromgaard but with less sarcasm. Not launching missles doesn’t really qualify a person as saving a billion lives. I pretty sure most of the people on the earth have also not launched missles starting a nuclear holocaust.

    Seems like the guy had a stressful job and thank goodness he didn’t panic but then again I don’t think any world military puts a jittery person in that position.

  5. I don’t know, he sure showed more respect and restraint for other countries than the US ever has. Iraq, Israel, Native Americans…hell man, we’re running a chain on pre-emptive strikes, I can’t wait to see what the combo bonus is.

  8. Here – if you’d like something that’s less sarcastic I’d suggest reading the following. It was the original letter written in 1938 to nominate Hitler for a Nobel peace prize. Follow the argument’s logic carefully.

    ~~

    To the Norwegian Parliament’s Nobel committee.

    Adolf Hitler, Man of PeaceThe undersigned hereby allows himself to respectfully suggest that the Nobel Peace Prize for 1939 be awarded to Germany’s Reich Chancellor and Führer Adolf Hitler, whom, according to the opinion of millions of people, more than any other man in the entire world is deserving of this prestigious award.

    It has been authentically documented that the world peace was in great danger in 1938, and it was only hours before the breakout of a Great European War. The individual who in this dangerous situation saved our continent from the horrible disaster was without a doubt first and foremost the German people’s great leader, whom at the crucial moment voluntarily refrained from letting the mine explode, even though he had the power to release world war.

    – – – – – – – – –

    By his glowing love of peace, as previously documented best in his famous book Mein Kampf — perhaps only second to the bible, the finest and most widely distributed book — and his extraordinary deed of using only peaceful means, without bloodshed, to incorporate Austria with Germany, Adolf Hitler was induced at the above mentioned critical time to withhold from violence during the liberation of his homesick countrymen in Sudetenland, and in his legitimate quest to make his fatherland great and powerful. It is very likely that Hitler, when left undisturbed in peace by the existing warmongers, will be able to follow through with his high purpose, and within a reasonable time will pacify Europe and perhaps the entire world.

    There are, however, an unfortunately large number of people who fail to see the magnitude of Hitler’s peace efforts, and I would out of consideration for this fact not have found the time to be right to bring forward Hitler as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize, unless a number of members of the Swedish Parliament had suggested another candidate, namely the English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. Such a suggestion seems hardly thought through. Surely, it is true, that Chamberlain by his extraordinary consideration and understanding of Hitler’s peace efforts to a high degree has contributed to maintaining world peace, but the final decision was, however, with Hitler and not with Chamberlain! It is Adolf Hitler and no other whom we foremost have to thank for the fact that we still have peace in the major part of Europe, and we also tie the hopes of future peace to him.

    Due to Chamberlain’s indisputable merits in working for peace, it would possibly be called for that a smaller part of the peace prize was awarded to him, but the proper thing would be, that no name should stand beside Adolf Hitler’s and cast a shadow upon it. Adolf Hitler is after all our time’s incomparable divinely gifted freedom fighter, and millions of people look up to him as if he were the Prince of Peace on earth.

    Stockholm, January 27, 1939
    E. G. C. Brandt, member of First Chamber of Parliament.

    ~~

    Seem a little similar to the reasoning behind “Petrov Day”? More than a little.

    And Cybercat – please spare me the bitching and moaning about our “Preemptive” strikes against islamic fascists. I’d much rather carry out those than subject myself to the “Preemptive Stockholm Syndrome” you seem to enjoy so much. If we hadn’t fought the Indians you’d either be sacrificing humans to the “Great Earth Mother” or you’d be sitting on your ass back in Europe with your ancestors sucking down vodka and living under a dictator. If we hadn’t fought the British in the war of the Revolution you’d be sitting HERE sucking down Bourbon living under a dictator. If we hadn’t fought the Civil War a third of the population would live in slavery. And if we’d bothered to get a little more “Preemptive” with Hitler and the tyrants in the 20th century maybe a few million fewer people wouldn’t have been slaughtered as a result.

    Don’t sell me on the “War never solves anything” bullshit – because that’s exactly what it is.

  9. Never heard such a foolish comment Mr Relmstein.Stanislav Petrov without doubt saved Billions of lives. This maybe overwhelming to accept but undeniably true as 99.9% of any appointed officers would have launched the missiles against the US. There were five warnings which he fought against when he used his own WISDOM. I also agree with the comment “I don’t think any world military puts a jittery person in that position”. You hit the nail on the head as most well trained people would have launched the counter strike. We the whole world, are extremely lucky as proven when Mr Stanislav Petrov was reprimanded by his superiors for not following orders!!!! How stupid are people and how sad that this great man has not got the recognition that he well deserves. Thank God for Stanislav Petrov.

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