Throughout the Anglo-Saxon period, heroes were defined by the size of their arms, and proficiency with a blade. They had incredible physical strength and unwavering ethics, always overcame insurmountable odds to defeat their enemy, an unbeatable opponent. The three high virtues of a hero for the Anglo-Saxons were strength, courage, and loyalty, but today people do not slay their adversary with swords and shields. Those types of supernatural creatures no longer haunt us. Today the most heroic characteristics in a person are selflessness, perseverance, and gallantry. A true 20th century hero is Charles Lindbergh for having the persistence, adventurous courage, and altruism to attempt something never before thought possible.
Selflessness is putting a person one has never met, a complete stranger, before oneself. To look out for others and help them, especially when it is not convenient. People with this quality exhibit true integrity. Persistence, because nothing that is remotely difficult ever works perfectly the first time. If people gave up immediately, then Lindbergh would never have crossed the Atlantic because the plane would never have been invented, the Wright brothers would have given up. Gallantry is nobility of spirit. A person that encounters danger with a cheerful attitude, it is being bold and having courage.
Charles Lindbergh is a great hero of our time. In trying to become a pilot Charles worked as a stuntman for Erold Bahl, a barnstormer. Lindbergh became known as the "Daredevil Lindbergh" for his stunts such as walking on an airplanes wing as it crossed a town. Later Charles enlisted in the Army Air Service Training School where he was taught how to fly acrobatic maneuvers and operate modern planes. In 1919 Frenchman Raymond Orteig offered a cash prize of $25,000 for the first pilot who could fly between Paris and New York. He received financial aid from a business in St.
