What defines someone as a great person of history rather than simply someone of note. History is better kept so we can likely guarantee attribution in the futur

What defines someone as a great person of history rather than simply someone of note. History is better kept so we can likely guarantee attribution in the future, but I think being a great person of history means that person is someone you can aspire to and is generally known by the populace outside of their specific "trade". I think Torvalds is someone of note. I doubt he, just like other people in computer science will be remembered generally as time goes on. People will likely learn the names as part of some curriculum and soon be relegated to the annals of computer science as we continue to advance technology. That's just my opinion. We will only know in time.