# You're a hero!  Now, please take this.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-hero-now-please-take-this/24670>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 5, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-hero-now-please-take-this/24670 "2000-07-05T20:41:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-hero-now-please-take-this/24670/1 "2000-07-05T20:41:33Z")

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I have seen multiple references to a heroic person or great leader getting a “key to the city”, usually from the mayor. Can someone explain the historical significance of this? Did cities used to have locks? Who else had a copy of the key? Could your keyholder status be revoked? Or is this entirely a fictional scenario? Any insight would be appreciated here.

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**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2000, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/youre-a-hero-now-please-take-this/24670/2 "2000-07-05T22:33:52Z")

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I don’t think it’s fictional. I believe it’s symbolic; if you’re a “friend of the city”, you have the key to the city gates. In Europe, particularly, cities would have had walls and gates to repel invaders.