Who in the USSR was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union four times?
On April 16, 87 years ago (1934), the honorary title of Hero of the Soviet Union was established in the USSR, according to MIR 24
It was decided to confer this title for a feat or outstanding service during hostilities, as well as in peacetime. The heroes of the USSR were awarded a special diploma from the Central Executive Committee of the USSR. Since 1936, in addition to the diploma, the Order of Lenin was awarded, and since 1939 – the Gold Star medal.
The first honorary titles were awarded to the pilots who rescued members of the Arctic expedition and the crew of the Chelyuskin icebreaker from the ice floe in the Chukchi Sea: Anatoly Lyapidevsky, Sigismund Levanevsky, Vasily Molokov, Nikolai Kamanin, Mauritius Slepnev, as well as Ivan Doroninov and Mikhail Doron'yanov.
Pilot-cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya (1982, 1984) received the Hero of the Soviet Union twice (1982, 1984), three times this award was awarded to aviation marshals Alexander Pokryshkin (twice in 1943 and in 1944) and Ivan Kozhedub (twice in 1944 and 1945), as well as Marshal Semyon Budyonny (1958, 1963, 1968).
Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1939, 1944, 1945, 1956) and General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev (1966, 1976, 1978, 1981) were awarded this title four times. Captain of the third rank Anatoly Solodkov became the last Hero of the USSR in October 1991. He made a record dive to a depth of 120 meters during scientific experiments.
In total, during the existence of this award, it was presented to 12 thousand 776 people. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the title was abolished. Instead, the title “Hero of the Russian Federation” (1992) was established.
As a reminder, May 2020 marked the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Hammer and Sickle medal, the insignia of the Hero of Socialist Labor. The sketch was created by Stalin's personal architect Miron Merzhanov. During the existence of the Soviet Union, 20 thousand people were awarded the highest award.
