Module Filter — Off the Records

Explore the Modules

Browse our stories below. We’re in the process of completing our library, so skip to Walter Tull first and follow his journey.

Raskova became the first female air force member of Soviet Russia in 1934. She broke red tape to join the air force and was one of the founding members of the 'Night Witches', a Soviet all female bomber squadron.

Marina Raskova

1912 - 1943

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Petrov was in charge when the USSR's satellite signal reported five ballistic missiles had been fired by the USA. He had to make the decision to retaliate and enter a nuclear war, or distrust the computer system.

Stanislav Petrov

1939 -

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At 31, Hamilton was the lead software engineer on NASA space missions. Her own handwritten computer code made a lunar module land on the moon, and prevented the Apollo 11 abort.

Margaret Hamilton

1936 -

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Vassall was lured into a homosexual honey trap by the soviet KGB in 1950s Russia. As homosexuality was illegal in both the UK and Soviet Russia, the KGB blackmailed him into becoming a spy against his country.

John Vassall

1924 - 1996

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Working in Lithuania in World War II, Sugihara risked his own and his family's life and saved over 6000 Jewish lives by unlawfully issuing travel visas out of the country.

Chiune Sugihara

1900 - 1986

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During the Siege of Leningrad in World War II, Vavilov and eight other Soviet food scientists died of starvation while protecting hiss institute at the world's largest seed bank, refusing to eat what they saw as their country's future.

Nikolai Vavilov

1887 - 1943

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Stormed in their trench, Khan's Indian Baluchi were killed at close range by bayonets. Despite being heavily injured Khan was the last man standing after the attack and stopped the final German breakthrough.

Khudadad Khan

1888 - 1971

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Dr. Schilling joined the Nazi party to continue his medical malaria trials. He conducted experiments on 1200 unwilling prisoners at the Dachau concentration camp, killing over 400 people.

Dr. Carl Schilling

1871 - 1946

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