Code Curiosities

The Midnight Glitch That Almost Started World War III

Episode Summary

In 1983, a Soviet early-warning satellite system reported that the United States had just launched five nuclear missiles — and one man had about three minutes to decide whether to believe it. The answer came down to a gut feeling, a software quirk, and a remarkably calm lieutenant colonel named Stanislav Petrov. This week we dig into the bug that nearly ended civilization, and why 'human override' might be the most important feature ever built into a machine.