Minor Historical Figures

I've decided to add a new category called "minor historical figures" that will look at the contributions of someone about whom you may have never learned. Typically this person will have had a large impact, but not much fame. Today we learn about Stanislav Petrov. The man pictured here...

In 1983, he didn't believe that the US was launching a nuclear attack (which we weren't, but were widely believed to be doing so) on Russia. His cool head and skepticism helped to avert all out nuclear war. He receives the award for the first Minor Historical Figure on this old blog.

I'm taking nominations for the next one. Post them in the comments section. In the meantime, read more about Stanislav Petrov