History hero

Soul singer Sam Cooke recording in the RCA Studios c1959 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jess Rand/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

My history hero: Sam Cooke (1931–64)

Maya Angelou was “the ultimate boundary-breaker”, says Naga Munchetty. (Photo by Craig Herndon/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

My history hero: Maya Angelou (1928–2014)

Douglas Bader in October 1940. “He was competitive, unruly, foolhardy – but also brilliant, brave and hugely talented,” says David Cameron. (Photo by Fg Off S A Devon/IWM via Getty Images)

Second World War

My history hero: David Cameron chooses Douglas Bader (1910–82)

Seve Ballesteros. (Photo by Brian Morgan/Getty Images)

My history hero: Seve Ballesteros (1957–2011)

Lyndon B Johnson, the 36th president of the United States. (Photo by Bettmann/Contributor/Getty Images)

My history hero: Lyndon Johnson (1908–73)

Portrait of William Shakespeare by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. (Photo by Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

My history hero: William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

Guillaume Apollinaire and his wife, Jacqueline Kolb, on the terrace of the boulevard Saint-Germain in Paris, France, in 1918. (Photo by adoc-photos/Corbis via Getty Images)

First World War

My history hero: Guillaume Apollinaire (1880–1918)

Bhimrao Ambedkar, May 1946. (Photo by Margaret Bourke-White/The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images)

My history hero: Bhimrao Ambedkar (1891–1956)

President Ronald Reagan at Durenberger Republican convention rally, 1982. (Photo by Universal History Archive/Getty Images)

My history hero: Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)

Mario Lanza c1950. (Photo by Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

My history hero: Mario Lanza (1921-59)

Portrait of Henry V of England

My history hero: Henry V

John F Kennedy pictured in 1957

My history hero: John F Kennedy (1917–63)

An undated portrait of Hypatia

My history hero: Hypatia (cAD 370–415)

Portrait of King Henry VIII

My history hero: Henry VIII (1491-1547)

The mahogany wooden interior of the Glasgow School of Art

My history hero: Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868–1928)