September 26 Birthday
September 26, 1983: Soviet lieutenant colonel Stanislav Petrov was monitoring an early warning satellite system when it reported five US intercontinental ballistic missiles heading toward the Soviet Union. Protocol required him to report an incoming attack to his superiors, who would likely have ordered retaliation. Petrov assessed the alert as a false alarm. He was right — the satellite had mistaken sunlight reflecting off high-altitude clouds for missile launches. His decision likely prevented nuclear war. He was not praised. He was reprimanded for not logging the incident correctly. People born on September 26 fall under the zodiac sign of Libra. The birthstone is Sapphire and the birth flower is Aster. Historical events on September 26 include 1960: First Kennedy-Nixon presidential debate televised, 1983: Soviet officer Stanislav Petrov prevents nuclear war, 2008: Swiss pilot Yves Rossy crosses English Channel with jetpack. Famous people born on September 26 include T.S. Eliot (1888), George Gershwin (1898), Olivia Newton-John (1948).