The Day the World Almost Ended: Episode 1— The Soviet Officers Who Defied the Machines

A special look at episode 1 of Mike Baker's PDB special subscriber only series: On September 26th, 1983, the world came closer to nuclear war than most people ever realized. Inside a secret Soviet bunker, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov faced a terrifying choice: trust the computers that screamed U.S. missiles were on the way—or trust his gut. Protocol said one phone call could unleash thousands of Soviet warheads and end civilization in less than an hour. This is the story of how one man’s decision in the middle of the night may have saved humanity. In this first episode of PDB’s The Day the World Almost Ended , Mike Baker takes you inside the Cold War’s most dangerous moment, explores the global tensions that set the stage, and explains why Petrov’s judgment still matters in today’s world of AI, cyber threats, and hair-trigger nuclear systems. Watch now to learn how close we came to annihilation—and why the fate of billions rested on a single man at a console in 1983. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices