Sign-In
Cart
The Man Who Refused to Fire: Stanislav Petrov
Paperback
Aviation & NauticalMilitary Biographies
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: Michael Webster
Published: Jan 27 2026
Pages: 168
Weight: 0.44
Height: 0.39 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
On the night of September 26, 1983, the sirens of a secret Soviet bunker screamed a warning that the world was ending. Five American nuclear missiles were reported as launched, and the protocol was clear: retaliate. But the man in the command chair, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, chose to trust his intuition over his instruments. He did not report the launch. He did not trigger the counterstrike. He simply waited.
This comprehensive biography chronicles the life of the man who stood at the center of the Cold War's most dangerous moment. From his early days as a Soviet military engineer to his final years as an unlikely global icon, this book explores how one man's refusal to follow orders saved the human race from extinction.
Through detailed analysis of the technical failures of the Oko satellite system and the crushing geopolitical pressures of the Reagan era, this narrative reconciles the disciplined officer with the global savior. It is a profound exploration of human judgment in an age of increasing automation, reminding us that the ultimate safeguard of civilization is not a computer, but the human conscience. This is the story of the watchman who gave us a second chance-and the eternal warning he left behind for a world still living in the shadow of the apocalypse. Approx.150 pages, 33100 word count
Also from
Webster, Michael
Iron Age and Middle Saxon Settlements at West Fen Road, Ely, Cambridgeshire: The Consortium Site
Mudd, Andrew
Webster, Michael
Paperback
Also in
Aviation & Nautical
The Navigator's Letter: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together
Dondi, Jan Cress
Hardcover
Solo and Together: Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, an Enigmatic Life and Marriage
Hansen, James R.
Hardcover
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon
Shapiro, Laurie Gwen
Hardcover
Cleared for Takeoff: A Pilot's Memoir of Purpose and Resilience After 9/11
Gilliam, Captain Nia
Hardcover
The Last Flight: The Untold Story of the Search for JFK Jr. and the Race Against the Atlantic
Webster, Theresa M.
Webster, W. Russell
Hardcover
The Naval Academy - A Parent's Ponderings from Home Port: Untying the Bowline on I-Day
Wade, Steve
Paperback
From Typewriter to Takeoff: The Life of Journalist and Aviatrix Harriet Quimby
Tyler, Norman
Paperback
Titan Unfinished: An Untold Story of Exploration, Innovation, and the Oceangate Tragedy
Söhnlein, Guillermo A. M.
Hardcover
The Lost Boys of Montauk: The True Story of the Wind Blown, Four Men Who Vanished at Sea, and the Survivors They Left Behind
Fairbanks, Amanda M.
Paperback
Ohio to Supersonic: Flying the Sr-71 Blackbird to the Secret World of the Skunk Works
Sheffield
Hardcover
The Aviator and the Showman: Amelia Earhart, George Putnam, and the Marriage That Made an American Icon (Large Print Edition)
Shapiro, Laurie Gwen
Hardcover
Speed: The Life of a Test Pilot and Birth of an American Icon
Dunnavant, Keith
Gilliland, Bob
Hardcover
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Gebhart, Richard
Paperback
Stone Age Astronaut: The Astonishing Adventures of America's Forgotten Flier
Callanan, Liam
Paperback
Space Ace: A Combat Pilot's Journey from Vietnam to Beyond Earth
Gibson, Robert
Paustian, Anthony
Hardcover
Let's Make a Race Of It!: The Story of Those Daring Women Who Flew The Powder Puff Derby, 1947-1977
Rickman, Sarah Byrn
Paperback
Through the Yellow Visor: The Life and (Mis)Adventures of a US Navy Fighter Pilot
Aiello, E. Vincent Jell-O
Paperback
Black Lion One: Topgun Trailblazer Capt. John Monroe Hawk Smith in Command of Vf-213
Auten, Donald E.
Hardcover
Pursuing the Leviathan: The Heroic Life of New England Whaling Captain Benjamin Clough
Magid, Paul
Hardcover
A Sea of Possibilities: The Revolutionary Atlantic World of Captain Thomas Allen
Banks, Kenneth J.
Hardcover
The Unlikely Voyage of Jack De Crow: A Mirror Odyssey from North Wales to the Black Sea
MacKinnon, A. J.
Paperback
Military Aircrafts in the Sky: Air Combat from World War II Planes to Modern Fighter Jets That Changed History
Modern Daily Press
Paperback
80 Years, a Tribute to the Pby Catalina: The Ultimate Color Photo Album of the Best Flying Boat Ever Made
Wiesman, Hans
Hardcover
Unbreakable Wings: Piloting the Impossible Journey Through Cancer and Naval Aviation
Adametz, Derek
Paperback
Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace: The Life and Loss of One of the Few, Flight Lieutenant William Henry Nelson Dfc
Usher, Peter J.
Hardcover
Flying Rocks: Stories from the air flying some of the biggest rock n' roll stars of the world.
Lofton, Michael J.
Paperback
Prairie Flyers of Central Illinois: A Century of Aviation in America's Heartland
Warner, John
Brady-Lunny, Edith
Hambucken, Denis
Paperback
The Great Lakes Ships of Frank E. Kirby: America's Greatest Naval Architect
Gebhart, Richard
Hardcover
The Man in the Arena: The Story of an Aviator's Roller-Coaster Ride to the Clouds and Back
Cooper, Thomas
Paperback
Whitney Straight: Racing Driver, War Hero, Industrialist - The Authorised Biography
Kenny, Paul
Hardcover
Smuggler's Flight: The High-Flying Adventures and Daring Aerial Exploits of a Bootlegging Black Market Pilot
Stewart, Chuck
Paperback
New England's Lifesaver: Coast Guard Legend Master Chief Jack Downey
Webster, W. Russell
Cicalese, Michael A.
Paperback
Single Seat Wisdom: Practical and Valuable Life Advice From America's Fighter Pilots
Curran, Michelle
Anderson, Kevin
Jelinek, Aaron
Paperback
The Heroes We Needed: The B-29ers Who Ended World War II and My Fight to Save the Forgotten Stories of the Greatest Generation
McIntyre, Trevor B.
Hardcover
The Stone from Halfway Rock Revisited: A Lifetime of Adventures on the Coast of Maine
Blachly, Peter M.
Paperback
The Shipwreck of the Whaleship Essex (Warbler Classics Annotated Edition)
Chase, Owen
Pollard, George, Jr.
Chappel, Thomas
Paperback
Smuggler's Flight: The High-Flying Adventures and Daring Aerial Exploits of a Bootlegging Black Market Pilot
Stewart, Chuck
Hardcover
The 600 m.o.l. - Black Helicopter Pilots in Vietnam: Tuskegee Glory - Second Edition
Ponds, Joe
Paperback
The Battlin' Bastards of Bravo: Bravo Company, 1/506th, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam and Beyond
Ziobro, Melissa
Hardcover
Rocket Boys: The Exhilarating Exploits of the Early Mach Busters from 1945 Onwards
Baker, David
Hardcover
Saber 27: A Memoir: A Female Cobra Pilot's Story of Betrayal, Redemption, and Combat in the War on Terror
Armstrong, Anne J.
Hardcover
Up in the Air: The Real Story of Life Aboard the World's Most Glamorous Airline
Riegel, Betty
Paperback
Soaring with Destiny: A USAF Pilot's Memoirs of Challenges, Experiences & Accomplishments
Miller, Usaf (Ret ). Lt Col Chuck
Paperback
Spitfire Girls Trailblazer: Helen Marcelle Harrison: Ata Ferry Pilot, Wartime Instructor, and Flying Boat and Jet Aviator
Serup, Sheila C.
Hardcover
The Haddock Family of English Seafarers: Merchant Mariners and Naval Officers 1327-1941
Purcell, Judy S.
Hardcover
Nerves of Steel: How I Followed My Dreams, Earned My Wings, and Faced My Greatest Challenge
Shults, Captain Tammie Jo
Hardcover
Planes, Trains, Automobiles, & More!: Frederick J. Hooven and His Brilliant Inventions
Braun, Becca
Paperback
Historias de Altamar: Lecciones de Una Vida En La Línea de Combate / Sea Stories
McRaven, William
Paperback
The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus: His Discovery and Exploration of the Americas
Irving, Washington
Paperback
Only the Light Moves: Flying Covert Reconnaissance Missions in the Vietnam War
Doherty, Francis A.
Paperback
Jet Girl: My Life in War, Peace, and the Cockpit of the Navy's Most Lethal Aircraft, the F/A-18 Super Hornet
Johnson, Caroline
Williams, Hof
Paperback
Unbreakable Wings: Piloting the Impossible Journey Through Cancer and Naval Aviation
Adametz, Derek
Hardcover
Goodbye, Papa Golf: "The Riskiest Thing I Do" - A Memoir of Flying, Family, and Self-Discovery
Bearden, Chip
Paperback
Completely Mad: Tom McClean, John Fairfax, and the Epic Race to Row Solo Across the Atlantic
Hansen, James R.
Paperback
Where Dolphins Walk: A Memoir of Bridging National Lifestyles, Positive Change and Powers of Silence
Keehn, Douglas a.
Paperback
My Hunt for the Lost Ships of History: True stories of the world's sunken treasures
Amaral, Joseph, Jr.
Paperback