Hero City (Belarusian: горoд-герой, horad-heroy, Ukrainian: місто-герой, misto-heroy, Russian: город-герой, gorod-geroy) is a Soviet honorary title awarded for outstanding heroism during the German-Soviet War (World War II) of 1941 to 1945. It was awarded to twelve cities of the Soviet Union. In addition the Brest Fortress was awarded an equivalent title of Hero-Fortress. This symbolic distinction for a city corresponds to the individual distinction Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to the statute, the hero city is issued the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal, and the certificate of the heroic deed (gramota) from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Also, the corresponding obelisk is installed in the city.

The usage of the term "hero-city" is dated to articles in Pravda as early as in 1942. The first official usage of the title is dated by May 1, 1945, when Joseph Stalin issued his Supreme Commander Order #20 commanding to fire salutes in "hero cities Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, and Odessa."

A hero (heroine is usually used for females) (Ancient Greek: ἥρως, hḗrōs), in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion. Later, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. This definition originally referred to martial courage or excellence but extended to more general moral excellence.

Stories of heroism may serve as moral examples. In classical antiquity, hero cults that venerated deified heroes such as Heracles, Perseus, and Achilles played an important role in Ancient Greek religion. Politicians, ancient and modern, have employed hero worship for their own apotheosis (i.e., cult of personality).

Coined in English 1387, the word hero comes from the Greek "ἥρως" (heroes), "hero, warrior", literally "protector" or "defender" the postulated original forms of these words being *ἥρϝως, hērwōs, and *ἭρFα, Hērwā, respectively. It is also thought^{[citation needed]} to be a cognate of the Latin verb servo (original meaning: to preserve whole) and of the Avestan verb haurvaiti (to keep vigil over), although the original Proto-Indoeuropean root is unclear.

A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.

For example, in the U.S. state of Massachusetts an article of incorporation approved by the local state legislature distinguishes a city government from a town. In the United Kingdom and parts of the Commonwealth of Nations, a city is traditionally a settlement with a royal charter. Historically, in Europe, a city was understood to be an urban settlement with a cathedral.

Cities generally have complex systems for sanitation, utilities, land usage, housing, and transportation. The concentration of development greatly facilitates interaction between people and businesses, benefiting both parties in the process. A big city or metropolis usually has associated suburbs and exurbs. Such cities are usually associated with metropolitan areas and urban areas, creating numerous business commuters traveling to urban centers for employment. Once a city expands far enough to reach another city, this region can be deemed a conurbation or megalopolis.

Tom Schuler (born November 28, 1956 in Detroit, Michigan) is a retired American professional road bicycle racer and founder of Team Sports Inc., a sports management company in cycling, mountain biking, triathlon, and roller blading. Since 2006, he has been team manager for Targettraining, a UCI Continental team riding USA Cycling's national racing calendar circuit, and Zoot Sports Triathlon Team. In 2009, he was general manager of Team Type 1, the Timex Multisport Team and the Zoot Ultra Triathlon Team.

Schuler was directeur sportif of Team Saturn, a professional cycling team from 1991 to 2003, and helped found the Volvo-Cannondale mountain bike team.

Schuler, a graduate from the University of Michigan, represented the United States at the 1976 and 1980 Summer Olympics and was one of the original seven members of the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. He was the 1987 USPRO national road champion and the 1981 US professional criterium champion.

In 2009 Tom became a co-founder of the Tour of America's Dairyland, a 10 day race in Wisconsin that attracts Pro-Teams and riders from around the world. www.TourofAmericasDairyland.com

Ben Onono (sometime stylized as Ben OnOnO) is a British musician and songwriter, born in Cardiff and raised in West Africa. He trained as a concert pianist. He mainly releases house music, and co-wrote the 2002 Ivor Novello award nominee "It Just Won't Do" single, released by Tim DeLuxe.

Onono was the featured vocalist in Saffron Hill's 2003 "My Love is Always There", as well as the character in its music video.

His debut album, Native Stranger, featured the song "Close Your Eyes" (which was used in the trailer for Channel 4's Darren Brown's Trick or Treat). Also from Native Stranger, the track "Blink" was featured on the soundtrack for the film, Long Way Down. His song 'Never had a Dream Come True' was featured on the movie 'John Tucker Must Die'.

Onono also worked with Futureshock, and complied the song "On My Mind" with them. He provided vocals for a different version of "On My Mind" with Rui Da Silva in 2008. Onono has written material for Cicada, Bob Sinclar, Fat Boy Slim and Natalie Imbruglia.