Francis Drake
September 26 marks the anniversary of Drake’s 1580 completion of his circumnavigation of the globe, the first Englishman so to do, reason enough to celebrate him as a British hero. We like our heroes less than perfect, and Drake fits that mould perfectly: it was Drake who ‘singed the king of Spain’s beard’ at Cadiz in 1587, delaying the Armada a year; Drake who was the first Briton to see the Pacific and possibly reach Alaska; but he was also a slaver, and a pirate – though sometimes government-sponsored. That he remains a British hero shows his impact on our national self-image as a seafaring people, world traders and fighters not afraid to face the most formidable enemies.
Previous heroes of the hour
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Geraint Thomas 13/8/2018
Katherine Grainger 18/8/2016
Jason Kenny 17/8/2016
Victoria Wood 21/4/2016
Ronnie Corbett 15/4/2016
George Martin 9/3/2016
David Bowie 11/1/2016
Wayne Rooney 9/9/2015
George Cole 6/8/2015
Sir Nicholas Winton 5/7/2015
Charles Kennedy 11/6/2015
Joshua Leakey 27/2/2015
Richard Attenborough 25/8/2014
Sir Nicholas Winton 13/6/2014
Stephen Sutton 14/5/2014
Bob Hoskins 2/5/2014
Tony Benn 14/3/2014
Peter O'Toole 20/12/2013
Tom Daley 3/12/2013
David Frost 3/9/2013
Andy Murray 8/7/2013
Richard Briers 27/2/2013
Michael Winner 29/1/2013
Patrick Moore 11/12/2012
Clive Dunn 8/11/2012
Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes 21/9/2012
Laura Trott 13/8/2012
Bradley Wiggins 26/7/2012
Eric Sykes 12/7/2012
Claire Lomas 9/5/2012
Fabrice Muamba 2/4/2012
Florence Green 8/2/2012
The Lawrence Family 4/1/2012
Christopher Hitchens 20/12/2011
Gary Speed 29/11/2011
John Motson 6/10/2011
David Croft 3/10/2011
David Walliams 13/9/2011
Tariq Jahan 19/8/2011
Stuart Broad 2/8/2011
Darren Clarke 18/7/2011
Hugh Grant 7/7/2011
Rory McIlroy 20/6/2011
Queen Elizabeth II 11/5/2011
Henry Cooper 2/5/2011
Chris Brasher 13/4/2011
Royal Wootton Bassett 16/3/2011
Colin Firth 15/2/2011
John Barry 31/1/2011
Jordan Tyson 14/1/2011
Howard Webb 4/1/2011
Elisabeth Beresford 26/12/2010
Charles Dickens 6/12/2010
Alastair Cook 1/12/2010
Kate Middleton 16/11/2010
Danny Baker 2/11/2010
Claire Rayner 12/10/2010
Norman Wisdom 5/10/2010
Colin Montgomerie 4/10/2010
Ed Miliband 27/9/2010
Eileen Nearne 14/9/2010
Annie Nightingale 13/9/2010
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Stephen Hawking 4/9/2010
Samantha Cameron 30/8/2010
Karen Woo 10/8/2010
Mo Farah 2/8/2010
Mark Lewis Francis 29/7/2010
Mark Cavendish 16/7/2010
Beryl Bainbridge 2/7/2010
Tony Hibbert 28/6/2010
Emile Heskey 18/6/2010
Armando Iannucci 7/6/2010
Gary Lineker 19/5/2010
Andrew Neil 7/5/2010
Gillian Duffy 29/4/2010
Dan Snow 19/4/2010
Malcolm McLaren 8/4/2010
Emma Thompson 6/4/2010
James Corden 22/3/2010
Keith Alexander 16/3/2010
Carol O'Brien 14/3/2010
Adam Buxton 11/3/2010
Michael Foot 3/3/2010
Alexander McQueen 2/3/2010
Amy Williams 20/2/2010
Dick Francis 15/2/2010
Terry Pratchett 8/2/2010
Alex Reid 3/2/2010
Jean Simmons 25/1/2010
Robert Burns 18/1/2010
Jonathan Ross 11/1/2010
Patrick Stewart 4/1/2010
Gareth Thomas 23/12/2009
Delia Smith 10/12/2009
Rhodri Morgan 2/12/2009
Grace Darling 23/11/2009
Boris Johnson 10/11/2009
Chris Hoy 2/11/2009
Beth Tweddle 19/10/2009
John Lennon 5/10/2009
Keith Floyd 15/9/2009
Nicholas Breakspear 7/9/2009
England Cricket Team 27/8/2009
Jessica Ennis 18/8/2009
Bobby Robson 7/8/2009
Harry Patch 28/7/2009
Henry Allingham 19/7/2009
Andrew Strauss 9/7/2009
Mollie Sugden 2/7/2009
Michael Eavis 22/6/2009
Andy Murray 15/6/2009
David Cameron 9/6/2009
Big Ben 1/6/2009
Vince Cable 25/5/2009
Alex Ferguson 18/5/2009
Margaret Thatcher 11/5/2009
Carol Ann Duffy 3/5/2009
Gordon Ramsay 27/4/2009
The Duke of Edinburgh 20/4/2009
Henry VIII 13/4/2009
Jenson Button 6/4/2009
David Beckham 29/3/2009
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