I just read the article on it-pro (don’t close the window or you will get a registration screen thereafter) and I hadn’t heard of this man either.
A single persons decision changed the world, it’s not often those things happen outside of movies.
So spread the word, Let us not just remember the fifth of november, but add 26th of september.
Wikipedia Article : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov