What is your definition of a hero and who are some persons, either living or deceased, whom you would consider to be heroes?

True heroes are probably not famous, like the firemen who helped save people in the 9/11 disaster, others who work tirelessly and selflessly to help those in need, and so on.

But if I had to name a few well-known people whom I consider heroes, I would nominate Bill Wilson (the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous), Helen Keller (and her teacher Anne Sullivan). People like that are a tremendous inspiration for me to live a better life.

Amen smartacus, the people who work day and night helping people like firemen, doctors and policemen, they deserve much more than they are getting. Dont forget the people who take care of the unfortunate, blind, deaf etc. Those are true heroes.

my dad is my forever hero :)

Cigar man!!

Actually, I think he is known as Cigar Guy.

fishy -- agree. Not sure if I'll ever live up to being 1/2 as good a man as my dad is. But, keep trying every day. As far as famous people, I'd throw Nelson Mandella, Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Pat Tillman onto the list of those already mentioned. All, like my dad, lived lives dictated first and foremost by their principles and never wavered in them.

I'd list John Lennon and George Harrison.

They done a lot,to promote peace. Peace is vital,for all aspects of human civilisation improvements

I define a hero as someone who overcomes severe adverse conditions to make others' lives better, and hopefully their own. The epitome of this definition would be, for example, Frederick Douglass. Obviously there are micro-examples of this, with instantaneous "adverse conditions," such as the hero running into a burning building to save someone.

How about the people who endure endless bombing from 50 000 feet and have no fireman to help them? Other than that, Bobby Orr without a doubt.

the recent hero imo was the last one up on the pheonix in Chile!!! That man deserves a few medals without question

Mother Teresa

She kept on going even after losing faith in God. Doing good works in the hope of getting a heavenly reward is one thing, but continuing to do the good works after losing faith in getting such a reward is truly remarkable.

Bill Gates

Never thought I'd say it, but the guy has really redeemed himself of late. Tens of thousands, if not millions are better off thanks to his philanthropic work.

A hero has a macho sort of image, but I think Mother Teresa and Nightingale may fit smartacus's discription of a hero nicely.

Andrew Brietbart - - for taking on the illiberal mainstream media and beating them at their own game. He is kicking down the rotten facade of the cultural Marxism, the intellectually insulting garbage known as "political correctness."

Norman Bethune

Brietbart? Really?

Those who pursue the truth, regardless of how unpopular it may be. Many have contributed so much to the world and yet have paid a very heavy price. I have so much respect for people like Galileo Galilei.

@sabiwabi. Great choice.

I don't really have a hero but think along the lines of sabiwabi.

bobbafett

Glad you like my choice. Galileo Galilei truly is one of the great ones. Leonardo da Vinci was another great one. I'm sure both of them would say "Hey, wassa come ana go!" if they saw what was going on today.

Andrew Brietbart, Rush Limbaugh, Susan O'Donnell

Anyone who is actively speaking out against the progressives, liberals and the criminal Obama regime. I think Limbaugh should end up on Mount Rushmore.

I think Limbaugh should end up on Mount Rushmore.

I think he should be very careful someone does not push him off if he did.

Karl Marx, Che and Fidel Castro.

Gandhi

I try to imagine to achieve independence for a country through no-violence and I don't think that many people have such moral strength. Thinking on people like him restore my faith in humanity.

The world is full of them. Heroism is something that possesses people usually just for a short period of time and makes them do things that do not make a whole lot of sense except that they are just the right things to do. Sometimes it is letting go, sometimes holding on, or whatever.

If you look at historical heroes, almost all had extended periods of being jerks or just plain stupid, but somehow, in the things that counted, they showed genius or greatness. The tortured ugly heroes of the world have a special place in my heart. Abraham Lincoln, US Grant, Jonas Salk, Mother Theresa, Tycho Brahe, Tesla, Oppenheimer, FDR, Mary Wollstonecraft, LBJ, William Burroughs, and many others.

There are groups of heroes too. Very small groups who changed history together.

But the one that I always tell people is Martin Luther King. If I had to pick just one person, that is who it is. Kind of like Lincoln, history does not explain him. He explained history. Lincoln would be second for reasons that I can't really explain quickly. Jonas Salk is an easy third because he caught lightning in a bottle and gave it all away to us, a bunch of strangers. He did the impossible and then the incredible and then said, "What? Anybody would have done the same thing." Uh no. No they wouldn't. He tested the vaccine ON HIMSELF people. That man danced through history and makes us all look like selfish stupid cowards.

It is a good question. I am sure that if I thought for a whole week about it, I could list 50 and why. I know I am leaving out a lot of important historical people.

The Sullenberger pilot guy is great and all, but he just did his job very well. I do not consider that necessarily heroic. People will jump on that, but why is being competent and following procedures heroic? Those guys get a big round of applause, but doing your job well, or doing a tough job, that is different from heroism in almost every case.

Sergeant York, Audey Murphy, Carbine Williams, Steve Jobs, Peter Jackson, etc. were supreme goobers who found one thing they did really well and went with it. They inspire me too.

Then there are people who, by their nature, did things nobody else really could. Alexander Fleming was a terrible slob who happened to have specialized knowledge. Darwin was so cautious and meticulous that he formed up his ides well BEFORE they ever came under attack. God bless him. Robert E. Lee was so proper and impeccable and he sacrificed so much that when he said it was over, it was just over. Done. You did not argue with Robert E. Lee.

And then there are people who never knew they were heroes. Thank you Henrietta Lacks. A poor sick black woman. She became a hero to hundreds of millions after she died. Because she died. Does that count? She won a lottery that might save humanity, but it killed her. Painfully and horribly.

Oh man. Have to add Dr. Fred Rogers. An astounding man with dignity and moral superpowers based on sheer kindness and decency.

To me, a hero is someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty to help others.

Dr Norman Borlaug. The man who fed the world. Nobel Peace Prize winner. For his contributions to the world food supply. A hero in my eyes.

The Few who fought in the Battle of Britain.

I would like to thank the men & women who created:

Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Sicilian Pizza 1980's Transformers & G.I. Joe, ThunderCats, Tom & Jerry Without these cartoons life would have been boring Pokeeeemon totally boring Harry Putter very boring " The CG machine is broken again Lordsnort "

The Push Up Bra thank you from the bottom of my heart seeing is believing The men and women who choose Victoria Secret Models (brazilian models) YESSSSSSSSSS difficult choice my heart is with you

I would like to thank the heroes and heroines:

My parents who taught me how to be a good person and help people That showed me examples of charity and hard work Who put dinner on the table

My parents are NUMBER 1# Heroes - Superman doesn't exist but I can always depend on my parents with problems or difficulties I had.

I would also like to thank from the bottom of my heart the men and women:

1) who helped create the thong underwear for women !!!! Suberashi with a capital S. 2) Starbucks - making coffee soooooo damn gooooooood

3) I would like to thank the creators of Robotech. F-14's that transform into robots. Great idea. Any other cartoon for example Guncramdun is second best & crappy story.

4) Jesus - with all the stuff he went through and endured. We should cherish everyday we take a breath.

5) The creators of ipods and itunes ! Great concept !!!!! Sony can't hack it !!!!

6) Researchers trying to find a cure for cancer and other ailments.

7) The creators of Gran Turismo series ( my driving in the real world has improved greatly from playing a video game. I can't believe it !!!!! Seriously !!! GT5 will rock !!!!!! Give it up for sony and polyphony digital

Great attention to detail

someone who died so that someone else could live the greatest man who ever lived ,,,,hmmm

Ponheary Ly, the bravest and greatest person I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Keech2

Some thing I found

"Although school is free across Cambodia, poor children in rural areas are often unable to attend because they cannot afford the necessary school supplies and uniforms.

For Ponheary Ly, the daughter of a schoolteacher who was killed by the brutal Khmer Rouge, helping children attend school is a mission. Ly started by helping one girl, giving her the money she needed for supplies and uniforms. Now, Ly has established her own foundation, helping thousands of children in rural Cambodia go to school. It takes only $20 a year to ensure a child gets an education."

Very cool, indeed.

Lexington Steele gets my vote.

Dewaashita Thanks for looking at Ponheary's site. I have never met a more giving, positive and determined person in my life. After all that she has experienced in her life, she still see the best in people. Probably a reflection of herself in others. If you ever plan to go to Siem Reip, get her for your guide. You'll have the best time and end feeling like one of the family.

Malcom X, Michael Collins, Huey Newton, Bush and Ronald Reagan. I forgot about Lexington Steele, Peter North is a real patriot too!

Is hero-worship still fashionable?

Jesus - with all the stuff he went through and endured. We should cherish everyday we take a breath.

Reading Martin Luther should help you understand the Christian faith more confidently... I highly recommend his works.

Jose LAUREL for his intellectual brilliance, he was a man of immense qualities that post-WWII he was elected Senator in the Philippines, and negotiated a trade deal (that carried his name) with the Americans.

Muhammad YUNUS qualifies as ‘hero’ for perfecting the micro-credit loans. If BOURLAG fed the world, then YUNUS empowered the third-world poor to invest, and embrace the free-market with affordable loans.

Akira KUROSAWA was a Japanese genius. He virtually made Japanese cinema and his influence is still evident not only amongst Japanese film-makers but obviously in the West too.

For lack of a more significant definition of ‘hero’, I believe heroes are those mortal men that perfected unselfishness—for their craft, beliefs and faith— therefore making their life magnets of emulation for others. Obviously the region have plenty of unknown heroes. I just mentioned three of them. Jin LUXIAN was unknown to me till I read James FALLOWS article on China. He was I thought a perfect example of Christian faith in China, and his life a supreme example of doggedness and simplicity. Diane YING as publisher of business magazine in Taiwan is worth imitating not only for her integrity but sincerity to revolutionize the whole industry… and she started from scratch.

SOME MORE NOTEWORTHY EXAMPLES: Shigeru MIYAMOTO, Hironobu SAKAGUCHI, F. Sionil JOSE, William DEANE in Australia, Osamu TEZUKA, Pim VERBEEK, Freddie AGUILAR, Ernest RUTHERFORD, Imran KHAN, Manny PACQUIAO, Pervez MUSHARRAF, Ramon MAGSAYSAY and Robert MENZIES.