I don't think the button was ever pushed. Cuba crisis came very close and the false alerts were automated messages that were correctly deemed as false by the commanders. As far as I know there has never been a direct order to fire that got denied.

[–] png@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yes, but it still comes down to the fact that it is at least unlikely for the entire chain of command down to the person who launches the nukes to look in the eye of the annihilation of society as we know it and still advance/carry out that order. In every situation where humans were faced with an order to launch, they decided not to carry it out so far.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Doesn't it also take a few minutes to go through the launch procedure? So they'd have time to think

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 points 5 months ago

Putin uses 1st nuke.

Nato strikes back conventionally

Putin orders all nukes.

Kid at a computer ordered by putin to launch all nukes - am I the baddy?