History's Youngest Heroes: Vasily Arkhipov and the End of Days

History's Heroes

BBC

Documentary, History, Society & Culture

4.8 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Deep in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, a young Soviet Naval must make a decision that could either save the world or trigger its destruction.

Nicola Coughlan shines a light on extraordinary young people from across history. Join her for 12 stories of rebellion, risk and the radical power of youth.

A BBC Studios Audio production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Producer: Suniti Somaiya Assistant Producer: Lorna Reader Executive Producer: Paul Smith Written by Alex von Tunzelmann Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Did you know that you can listen to many of your favourite podcasts first on BBC Sounds?
0:07.0	Like, you're dead to me, where you can hear the latest episode 28 days earlier.
0:11.6	So catch it before it becomes history.
0:14.6	Good things come to those who don't wait.
0:16.4	Listen to your favourite podcasts first on BBC Sounds.
0:21.6	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:26.7	Good evening, my fellow citizens.
0:28.9	On the 22nd of October in 1962, President John F. Kennedy
0:33.6	addressed the people of the United States and the wider world.
0:37.4	This government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military
0:44.3	buildup on the island of Cuba.
0:47.3	Tensions have been rising between the Soviet Union, the United States and Cuba.
0:52.3	Within the past week, unmistakable evidence has established the fact
0:57.0	that a series of offensive missile sites
1:01.0	is now in preparation on that imprisoned island.
1:05.0	The purpose of these bases can be none other
1:09.0	than to provide a nuclear strike capability against the Western Hemisphere.
1:13.9	The world was on the brink of nuclear war.
1:17.1	By the presence of these large, long range and clearly offensive weapons of sudden mass destruction
1:23.5	constitutes an explicit threat to the peace and security of all the Americas.
1:30.3	President Kennedy at one point told his press secretary
1:34.3	that you do realize, if I make a mistake, 200 million people are going to die.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -46 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.