There was nothing in his background that would have marked him as one of the great heroes of the 20th century.
Birth stories in the Gospel of Matthew were put there by Jewish Christians, to let Jews know that Jesus was greater than all the great heroes of the Jewish faith and history.
Indeed, I rather suspect that Churchill's funeral was at the back of Lady Thatcher's mind when she considered the arrangements for her own send-off, not least because Churchill was one of her great heroes.
BBC: Viewpoint: Margaret Thatcher funeral's place in history
Some of Northern Ireland's great sporting heroes, including Barry McGuigan, Dave 'Boy' McAuley and Mary Peters, were also at the film's premiere.
"I hope it will give us the chance to thank and remind ourselves of the sacrifice that was made by so many people who are part of a great generation of heroes for our country, " he said.
The Greeks told stories about the mythic heroes Heracles and Pelops to explain why there was a great festival at the site both heroes were claimed as founding fathers who gave thanks for divine assistance.
Baseball's Hall of Portly Heroes includes several great players, most notably Babe Ruth, who were able to continue producing late into their careers when many others deteriorate.
Indeed, Ringil and his friends are not really anti-heroes at all, which is great because in so many recent books and television series, complexity is often achieved by creating heroes we love to hate.
Chicago marked the anniversary of the Great Fire by honoring its contemporary fire heroes.
Andersonstown News editor Robin Livingstone said the awards were a tribute to the "local heroes who are building up this great city".
The Olympic flame was jointly lit by four Canadian sports heroes - all-time hockey great Wayne Gretzky, skier Nancy Greene, speed skater Catriona Le May Doan and basketball All-Star Steve Nash after being carried into the arena by paralympian Rick Hansen.
So will our heroes come in the image of a great equalizer like Barack Obama or a great pioneer like Steve Jobs?
The ride, which will take place in the glorious setting of Windsor Great Park, will raise money for Help the Heroes charity which provides assistance to injured ex-servicemen.
The Jersey Shore kids are regular guys and gals who hit it big just by being themselves and during this our Great Recession, that makes them the perfect folk heroes in an otherwise bleak day and age for ordinary people.
There is much talk of great urgency and touching stories about victims, families, and heroes.
In what could be considered a childish mindset, finding heroes in people I've never met, I'm taking great pleasure in reading about four new role models in a single week.
Great necessities will call out great virtues, and qualities that may seem dormant will wake into life, forming the character of new heroes and new leaders.
For an inspiring tale of how some of these unsung heroes overcame the most daunting physical challenges of their age, see the four-part documentary Great Projects, to be shown on public television this summer in four one-hour segments.
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