On 27 October 1962, Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov was on board the Soviet submarine B-59 near Cuba when the US forces began dropping non-lethal depth charges. They thought they were witnessing the beginning of a third world war. But, unknown to the US forces, they had a special weapon in their arsenal: a ten kilotonne nuclear torpedo. Thank you Vasili Arkhipov, the man who stopped nuclear war | Edward Wilson Read moreNow, 55 years after he averted nuclear war and 19 years after his death, Arkhipov is to be honoured, with his family the first recipients of a new award. Speaking to Tegmark, Arkhipov’s daughter Elena Andriukova said the family were grateful for the prize, and its recognition of Arkhipov’s actions.

Source: The Guardian October 27, 2017 12:17 UTC