Superman contributions to the world...

[Russell]

I'm mainly thinking of Silver Age Superman here, but Post Crisis and Golden Age examples are fine too.

Superman does a lot, regardless of what fictional universe he's in. This is fact. Since the very beginning of the Golden Age he constantly, and I mean constantly donated to charity. Almost every dime the mans ever made has gone to charities of one sort or another.

What I think truly makes Superman Super is the smaller things. Certain instances of Superman going out of his way just hit home and affect me a lot more than him destroying an evil aliens armada would. For examples...

In a later issue of Superboy vol. 1, he saves a few orphans and brings them out for ice cream. This gets ice cream dumped on his head by Lana, though.  :lol:

In a Bronze Age Superman issue, he brings a pregnant spanish woman from blocked up traffic to the hospital.

What little "feats" similar to the ones I mentioned stick out in your mind?

[JulianPerez]

I always liked how Superman not only used his powers in interesting ways, but he also managed to do "two birds with one stone" things that first solved whatever short term problem he had, but also did some public service.

Like for instance, in one battle, Superman was trapped in the heart of an iceberg to temporarily hold him. Instead of just smashing out Incredible Hulk-style, Superman used his heat-vision to melt the iceberg...right over a drought-stricken farm town.

Another contribution I can think of is Fort Superman. This was the prison that Superman constructed that was over 5,000 feet in the air and suspended by jet motors, and surrounded by a bubble of Superman's own design made of impenetrable material. (Incidentally, this was the story that earned Superman the ire of Master Jailer.)

[Russell]

Yeah, the Master Jailer did create the prison and all that. He felt like Superman one-upped him.

Then again, he had an uber obsession with Lana. :lol:

Did the Golden/Silver age Superman ever try to do something like what Superman did in Alex Ross's Peace on Earth? If not, any idea why?

[Russell]

Another thing I used to like was how Superman would always find time to sign tons of autographs at super-speed wherever he went.