Person of the Year

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Person of the Year

Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine

Newsmagazine

A newsmagazine, also spelled news magazine, is usually a weekly magazine featuring articles or segments on current events. News magazines generally go more in-depth into stories than newspapers or television news, trying to give the reader an understanding of the context surrounding important events, rather than just the facts....
Time
Time (magazine)

Time is a weekly United States newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report. A European edition is published from London....
that features and profiles a man, woman, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year."

tradition of selecting a Man of the Year began in 1927, with Time editors contemplating newsworthy stories possible during a slow news week.

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Encyclopedia

Person of the Year (formerly Man of the Year) is an annual issue of the United States newsmagazine

Newsmagazine

History

The tradition of selecting a Man of the Year began in 1927, with Time editors contemplating newsworthy stories possible during a slow news week. The idea was also an attempt to remedy the editorial embarrassment earlier that year for not having aviator Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an United States aviator, author, inventor and explorer.On May 20?21, 1927, Lindbergh emerged instantaneously from virtual obscurity to world fame as the result of his Orteig Prize-winning solo non-stop flight from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in New York City to Paris - Le Bourget Airport in Paris in the s...
on its cover following his historic trans-Atlantic flight. By the end of the year, it was decided that a cover story featuring Lindbergh as the Man of the Year would serve both purposes.

Since then, a person, group of people, and in two special cases, an invention and the planet Earth, has been selected for the special year end issue. In 1999, the title was changed to Person of the Year in an effort to be more inclusive, and avoid purportedly sexist phraseology. However, the only women to win the renamed recognition so far were those recognized as The Whistleblowers (2002) and Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates

Melinda French Gates is an American philanthropist. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a former unit manager for several Microsoft products such as Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Bob, Encarta, and Expedia....
(jointly with Bill Gates

Bill Gates

William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an United States business magnate, philanthropist, author, the List of the 100 wealthiest people , and chairman of the board of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen....
and Bono

Bono

Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2....
in 2005). Four women were granted the title when it was still Man of the Year: Wallis Simpson in 1936, Soong May-ling (Madame Chiang Kai-shek) in 1937, Queen Elizabeth II

Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...
in 1952, and Corazon Aquino

Corazon Aquino

Mar?a Coraz?n Cojuangco-Aquino , widely known as Cory Aquino, was the 11th President of the Philippines, serving from 1986 to 1992. She was the first female President of the Philippines and was Asia first female President....
in 1986. Nevertheless, women would also be included in several groups, namely Hungarian Freedom Fighter in 1956, U.S. scientists in 1960, Twenty-Five and Under

Baby boomer

Baby boomer is a term used to describe a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom. Many analysts now believe that two distinct cultural generations were born during this baby boom; the older generation is often called the Baby Boom Generation and the younger generation is often called Generation Jones....
in 1966, The Middle Americans

Middle class

Middle class is the group of people in contemporary society who are between the working class and nobility. This socioeconomic class includes professionals, highly skilled workers, and lower and middle management....
in 1969, American Women in 1975, The American Soldier in 2003, and You

You (Time Person of the Year)

In 2006 Time magazine chose the millions of anonymous contributors of user-generated content to Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, the Linux Operating System, and other providers, as Person of the Year, personified simply as You....
in 2006.

Since the list began, every serving President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in the United States by influence and recognition....
has been a Person of the Year at least once with the exceptions of Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
, Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover

Herbert Clark Hoover was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . Besides his political career, Hoover was a professional mining engineer and author....
(the presidents who were in office at the time of the first issue and the term immediately following it, respectively) and Gerald Ford

Gerald Ford

Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974....
.

The December 31, 1999, issue of Time named Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a Germany-born theoretical physics. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass?energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2....
the Person of the Century
Person of the Century

Time Person of the Century was created to honor one of the Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century. On December 31, 1999, the magazine published a special edition of its magazine naming Albert Einstein as "Person of the Century"....
. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
and Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha?resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence?which led India to Indian independence movement and inspired movements for civi...
were chosen as runners-up.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....
is the only person to have received the title 3 times - in 1932, 1934 and 1941.

Controversy

Despite the magazine's frequent statements to the contrary, the designation is often regarded as an honor, and spoken of as an award or prize, simply based on many previous selections of admirable people. However Time magazine points out those such as Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....
in 1938, and Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953....
in 1939 and again in 1942, and the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, have also been granted the title.

In 1998, professional wrestler Mick Foley

Mick Foley

Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an United States semi-retired professional wrestling and author. He is a former World Wrestling Entertainment wrestler, most recently performing as a color commentator on its WWE Friday Night SmackDown WWE Brand Extension....
led the online poll to be voted Time Man of the Year however he was removed as a candidate after Time felt he had not done enough to deserve the accolade.

As a result of the public backlash it received from the United States

United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
for naming the Ayatollah Khomeini Man of the Year in 1979, Time has shied away from using figures that are controversial in the United States. Times Person of the Year 2001—immediately following the September 11, 2001 attacks—was New York City
New York City

The City of New York is the List of United States cities by population in the United States, while the New York metropolitan area ranks among the List of urban areas by population....
mayor Rudolph Giuliani, although the rules of selection, the individual or group of individuals who have had the biggest effect on the year's news, made Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is a member of the prominent Saudi Arabia bin Laden family and the founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, best known for the September 11 attacks on the United States....
a more likely choice. The issue that declared Giuliani the Person of the Year included an article that mentioned Time's earlier decision to elect the Ayatollah Khomeini and the 1999 rejection of Hitler as Person of the Century
Person of the Century

Time Person of the Century was created to honor one of the Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century. On December 31, 1999, the magazine published a special edition of its magazine naming Albert Einstein as "Person of the Century"....
. The article seemed to imply that Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden

Osama bin Laden is a member of the prominent Saudi Arabia bin Laden family and the founder of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda, best known for the September 11 attacks on the United States....
was a stronger candidate than Giuliani

Giuliani

Giuliani is an Italy family name, which can refer to:* Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, and former candidate for United States President in 2008....
, as Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....
was a stronger candidate than Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a Germany-born theoretical physics. He is best known for his theory of relativity and specifically mass?energy equivalence, expressed by the equation E = mc2....
. The selections were ultimately based on what the magazine describes as who they believed had a stronger influence on history.

Another criticized choice was the 2006 selection of "You

You (Time Person of the Year)

In 2006 Time magazine chose the millions of anonymous contributors of user-generated content to Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, the Linux Operating System, and other providers, as Person of the Year, personified simply as You....
", representing most if not all people for advancing the information age

Information Age

The Information Age is an idea that the current age will be characterised by the ability of individuals to transfer information freely, and to have instant access to knowledge that would have previously have been difficult or impossible to find....
by using the Internet

Internet

The Internet is a global network of interconnected computers, enabling users to share information along multiple channels. Typically, a computer that connects to the Internet can access information from a vast array of available server and other computers by moving information from them to the computer's local memory....
(via blogs, YouTube

YouTube

YouTube is a Video hosting service website where users can upload, view and share video clips. Three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005....
, MySpace

MySpace

MySpace is a social network service website with an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos for teenagers and adults internationally....
and Wikipedia

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a Free content, multilingualism encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit organization Wikimedia Foundation. Its name is a portmanteau of the words wiki and encyclopedia....
). The fourth place winner was chosen instead of the first place winner, Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Time took an online poll for 2006 and Hugo Chavez

Hugo Chávez

Hugo Rafael Ch?vez Fr?as is the current President of Venezuela. As the leader of the Bolivarian Revolution, Ch?vez promotes a political doctrine of participatory democracy, socialism and Latin American and Caribbean cooperation....
won Person of the Year with 35%. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the sixth and current President of Iran of the Islamic Republic of Iran. He became president on August 6, 2005, after winning the Iranian presidential election, 2005....
placed second in the poll with 21%. Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi is the current Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. She is a Democratic party . Before being elected Speaker in the 110th United States Congress, she was the Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2007, holding the post during the 108th United States Cong...
placed 3rd with 11% and "You tube guys" placed fourth with only 10%. "You tube guys" became "You

You (Time Person of the Year)

Persons of the Year

Year	Choice	Lifetime	Notes
1927	Charles Lindbergh Charles Lindbergh Charles Augustus Lindbergh was an United States aviator, author, inventor and explorer.On May 20?21, 1927, Lindbergh emerged instantaneously from virtual obscurity to world fame as the result of his Orteig Prize-winning solo non-stop flight from Roosevelt Field, Long Island in New York City to Paris - Le Bourget Airport in Paris in the s...	1902–1974	First and youngest single person chosen
1928	Walter Chrysler Walter Chrysler Walter Percy Chrysler was an American machinist, rail transport man, automotive industry Senior management, and founder of the Chrysler....	1875–1940
1929		1874–1962
1930	Mahatma Gandhi Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. He was the pioneer of satyagraha?resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded upon ahimsa or total non-violence?which led India to Indian independence movement and inspired movements for civi...	1869–1948	First Indian and first non-American person chosen
1931	Pierre Laval Pierre Laval Pierre Laval was a France politician. He served four times as Prime Minister of France of the Third French Republic, thrice consecutively. Following France's Armistice with Germany in 1940, he served twice in the Vichy Regime as head of government....	1883–1945	First European chosen
1932	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....	1882–1945	First president chosen
1933	Hugh Samuel Johnson Hugh Samuel Johnson Hugh Samuel Johnson United States soldier and National Recovery Administration official.He was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1882. After graduating from the United States Military Academy in 1903, Johnson became an officer in the United States Army....	1882–1942
1934	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....	1882–1945	2nd time chosen
1935	Haile Selassie I Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia Haile Selassie I , born Tafari Makonnen, was Ethiopia's regent from 1916 to 1930 and Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. The heir to a dynasty that traced its origins to the 13th century, and from there by tradition back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Haile Selassie is a defining figure in both History of Ethiopia and Histor...	1892–1975	First monarch chosen; First African chosen
1936		1896–1986	First woman chosen
1937	Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek Chiang Kai-shek , Order of the Bath , served as Generalissimo of the Nationalist Government of the Republic of China from 1928 to 1948. He was sometimes referred to simply as "the Generalissimo".... Soong May-ling	1887–1975 1897–2003	First couple chosen
1938	Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born Germany politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party....	1889–1945
1939	Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953....	1878–1953
1940	Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...	1874–1965
1941	Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt , often referred to by his initials FDR, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States....	1882–1945	3rd time chosen
1942	Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1922 until his death in 1953....	1878–1953	2nd time chosen
1943	George Marshall George Marshall George Catlett Marshall was an United States Military of the United States leader, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, United States Secretary of State, and the third United States Secretary of Defense....	1880–1959
1944	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....	1890–1969
1945	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....	1884–1972	2nd president chosen
1946	James F. Byrnes James F. Byrnes James Francis Byrnes was an United States statesman from the state of South Carolina. During his career, Byrnes served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , as a United States Senate , as Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States , as United States Secretary of State , and as Governor of South Carolina ....	1879–1972
1947	George Marshall George Marshall George Catlett Marshall was an United States Military of the United States leader, Chief of Staff of the United States Army, United States Secretary of State, and the third United States Secretary of Defense....	1880–1959	2nd time chosen
1948	Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . As the List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States, he succeeded Franklin D....	1884–1972	2nd time chosen
1949	Winston Churchill Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, Order of the Garter, Order of Merit, Order of the Companions of Honour, Territorial Decoration, Fellow of the Royal Society, Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Queen's Privy Council for Canada was a Politics of the United Kingdom known chiefly for his leadership of the United King...	1874–1965	Man of the Half-Century; 2nd time chosen
1950	The American Fighting-Man Military of the United States The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....		Representing Korean War Korean War The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953.... troops; first abstract chosen
1951	Mohammed Mossadegh Mohammed Mossadegh Mohammad Mosaddeq was a major figure in modern Iranian history who served as the Prime Minister of Iranfrom 1951 to 1953 when he was removed from power by a coup d'?tat....	1882–1967	First Middle Eastern
1952	Elizabeth II Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II is the queen regnant of sixteen independent states known as the Commonwealth realms: Monarchy of the United Kingdom, Monarchy of Canada, Monarchy of Australia, Monarchy of New Zealand, Monarchy of Jamaica, Monarchy of Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Monarchy of the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sain...	b. 1926
1953	Konrad Adenauer Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Josef Adenauer , 5 January 1876 ? 19 April 1967) was a Germany statesman.Although his political career spanned sixty years, beginning as early as 1906, he is most noted for his role as the Chancellor of Germany of West Germany from 1949?1963 and chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1950 to 1966....	1876–1967
1954	John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles John Foster Dulles served as United States Secretary of State under President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1959. He was a significant figure in the early Cold War era, advocating an aggressive stance against communism around the world....	1888–1959
1955	Harlow Curtice Harlow Curtice Harlow Herbert Curtice was an American auto industry executive who led General Motors Corporation from 1953 to 1958. As GM's chief, Curtice was selected as Person of the Year for 1955 by Time magazine....	1893–1962
1956	Hungarian Freedom Fighter 1956 Hungarian Revolution The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide revolt against the People's Republic of Hungary of Hungary and its Soviet Union-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956....		Abstract choice
1957	Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, following the death of Joseph Stalin, and Premier of the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1964....	1894–1971
1958	Charles de Gaulle Charles de Gaulle Charles Andr? Joseph Marie de Gaulle , , was a French people general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President of France from 1959 to 1969....	1890–1970
1959	Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David ?Ike? Eisenhower was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1953 until 1961 and a General of the Army in the United States Army....	1890–1969	2nd time chosen, 3rd president chosen
1960	Scientist Scientist A scientist, in the broadest sense, refers to any person that engages in a system activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of thought or philosophy.... s		Represented by George Beadle George Wells Beadle George Wells Beadle was an United States scientist in the field of genetics, and Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Nobel laureate who with Edward Lawrie Tatum discovered the role of genes in regulating biochemical events within cells.... , Charles Draper Charles Stark Draper Charles Stark Draper was an American scientist and engineer, often referred to as "the father of inertial navigation system."... , John Enders John Franklin Enders John Franklin Enders was an United States medical scientist and Nobel laureate.Enders was born in West Hartford, Connecticut and was educated at the Noah Webster School at Hartford and St.... , Donald A. Glaser Donald A. Glaser Donald Arthur Glaser , is an United States physicist, neurobiologist, and Nobel Prize in Physics laureate for his invention of the bubble chamber.... , Joshua Lederberg Joshua Lederberg Joshua Lederberg was an United States molecular biology known for his work in genetics, artificial intelligence, and space exploration. He was just 33 years old when he won the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes.... , Willard Libby Willard Libby Willard Frank Libby was an United States physical chemistry, famous for his role in the 1949 development of radiocarbon dating, a process which revolutionized archaeology.... , Linus Pauling Linus Pauling Linus Carl Pauling was an United States scientist, peace activist, author and list of educators. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists in any field of the 20th century.... , Edward Purcell Edward Mills Purcell Edward Mills Purcell was an United States physicist who shared the 1952 Nobel Prize for Physics for his independent discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance in liquids and in solids.... , Isidor Rabi Isidor Isaac Rabi Isidor Isaac Rabi was a Galicia -born American physicist and Nobel laureate recognised in 1944 for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance.... , Emilio Segrè Emilio G. Segrè Emilio Gino Segr? was an Italy physicist and Nobel laureate in Nobel Prize in Physics, who with Owen Chamberlain, discovered antiprotons, a sub atomic particle antiparticle.... , William Shockley William Shockley William Bradford Shockley was a Kingdom of Great Britain-born United States physicist and inventor.Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.... , Edward Teller Edward Teller Edward Teller was a Jewish-Hungarian-American theoretical physics physicist, known colloquially as "the father of the hydrogen bomb", even though he claimed that he did not care for the title.... , Charles Townes Charles Hard Townes Charles Hard Townes is an United States Nobel Prize physicist and educator. Townes is known for his work on the theory and application of the maser, on which he got the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics connected with both maser and laser devices.... , James Van Allen James Van Allen James Alfred Van Allen was an United States space scientist at the University of Iowa. The Van Allen radiation belts were named after him, following the 1958 satellite missions in which Van Allen had argued that a Geiger counter should be used to detect charged Subatomic particles.... , and Robert Woodward Robert Burns Woodward Robert Burns Woodward was an United States organic chemistry. He made many significant contributions to modern organic chemistry, especially in the synthesis and structure determination of complex natural products, and worked closely with Roald Hoffmann on theoretical studies of chemical reactions....
1961	John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States, serving from 1961 until John F....	1917–1963	4th president chosen
1962	Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII Blessed Pope John XXIII , born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli , known as Blessed John XXIII since his beatification, was elected as the 261st Pope of the Roman Catholic Church and monarch of Vatican City on 28 October 1958....	1881–1963	First Pope Pope The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and head of state of Vatican City. The current pope is Pope Benedict XVI, who was elected April 19, 2005 in Papal conclave, 2005.... chosen
1963	Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was an United States pastor, activist and prominent leader in the African-American African-American Civil Rights Movement ....	1929–1968
1964	Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....	1908–1973	5th president chosen
1965	William Westmoreland William Westmoreland William C. Westmoreland was an United States General who commanded Military of the United States in the Vietnam War at its peak from 1964 to 1968 and who served as United States Army Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1968 to 1972....	1914–2005
1966	The Generation Twenty-Five and Under Baby boomer Baby boomer is a term used to describe a person who was born during the demographic Post-World War II baby boom. Many analysts now believe that two distinct cultural generations were born during this baby boom; the older generation is often called the Baby Boom Generation and the younger generation is often called Generation Jones.... (Baby Boomers)		Abstract choice
1967	Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and List of Vice Presidents of the United States Vice President of the United States ....	1908–1973	2nd time chosen
1968	Apollo 8 Apollo 8 Apollo 8 was the first manned space voyage to achieve a velocity sufficient to allow escape from the gravitational field of planet Earth; the first to escape from the gravitational field of another celestial body; and the first manned voyage to return to planet Earth from another celestial body.... astronaut Astronaut An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a List of human spaceflight programs to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... s		William Anders William Anders William Alison Anders is a former United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. He is, along with Apollo 8 crewmates Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, one of the first three persons to have left Earth orbit and traveled to the Moon .... , Frank Borman Frank Borman Frank Frederick Borman, II is a retired NASA astronaut, best remembered as the Commander of Apollo 8, the first mission to fly around the Moon, making him, along with fellow crew mates Jim Lovell and William Anders, the List of Apollo astronauts#People who flew around the Moon without landing.... , and Jim Lovell Jim Lovell James "Jim" Arthur Lovell, Jr., is a former NASA astronaut and a former Captain in the United States Navy, most famous as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission, which suffered an explosion en route to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control....
1969			Abstract choice
1970	Willy Brandt Willy Brandt Willy Brandt, born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm , was a Germany politician, Chancellor of Germany of West Germany 1969–1974, and leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany 1964–1987....	1913–1992
1971	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office....	1913–1994	6th president chosen
1972	Richard Nixon Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the only president to resign the office....	1913–1994	2nd time chosen
1972	Henry Kissinger Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger is a Germany-born United States Jewish political scientist, bureaucrat, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as United States National Security Advisor and later concurrently as United States Secretary of State in the Nixon administration....	b. 1923
1973	John Sirica John Sirica John Joseph Sirica was the Chief Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, where he became famous for his role as the chief judge presiding over the Watergate scandal....	1904–1992
1974	King Faisal Faisal of Saudi Arabia Abdullah al FaisalMuhammad bin Faisal al SaudSara al FaisalLuluwa al FaisalKhalid al FaisalSaud bin Faisal bin Abdul Aziz*Sa'd bin Faisal...	1906–1975
1975	American women History of women in the United States For Women's suffrage see History of women's suffrage in the United States.This is a history of the role of women throughout the history of the United States and of feminism in the United States....		Represented by Susan Brownmiller Susan Brownmiller Susan Brownmiller is a radical feminism, journalist, and activist. She is best known for her pioneering work on the politics of rape in her 1975 book Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape Brownmiller argues that rape had been hitherto defined by men rather than women; and that men use, and all men benefit from the use of, rape as a mea... , Kathleen Byerly Kathleen Byerly Kathleen M. Byerly is known for being one of the women named by Time Time Person of the Year in 1975 representing American women . She was in the first female Officer in the United States Navy to be appointed flag secretary and aide to an admiral.... , Alison Cheek Alison Cheek Alison Cheek is a best known for being one of the first women named by Time , Time Person of the Year in 1975. Cheek was a Episcopal Church priest and became one of the first women to be an ordained priest in an Episcopal church.... , Jill Conway Jill Ker Conway Jill Ker Conway is an Australian-United States author, best known for her Autobiography, in particular her first memoirs, Jill Ker Conway#The Road from Coorain.... , Betty Ford Betty Ford Elizabeth Anne "Betty" Bloomer Warren Ford is the widow of former United States President Gerald R. Ford and was the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977.... , Ella Grasso Ella T. Grasso Ella Grasso , born Ella Giovanna Oliva Tambussi, was an United States politician, and first woman elected governor of Connecticut.... , Carla Hills Carla Anderson Hills Carla Anderson Hills is an American lawyer and public figure. She served as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the Gerald Ford administration, and as U.S.... , Barbara Jordan Barbara Jordan Barbara Charline Jordan was an American politician from Texas. She served as a congresswoman in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979.... , Billie Jean King Billie Jean King Billie Jean King is a retired tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.... , Carol Sutton Carol Sutton Carol Sutton was an American journalist. In 1974 she became the first female managing editor of a major U.S. daily newspaper, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky.... , Susie Sharp Susie Sharp Susie Marshall Sharp was an American jurist who served as the first female Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. She was not the first woman to head the State supreme court in a U.S.... , and Addie Wyatt
1976	Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1977 to 1981 and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize....	b. 1924
1977	Anwar Sadat Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar Al Sadat, or Anwar El Sadat , was the third President of Egypt, serving from 15 October 1970 until his assassination on 6 October 1981....	1918–1981
1978	Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping was a prominent Chinese revolutionary, politician, pragmatist and reformer, as well as the late leader of the Communist Party of China ....	1904–1997
1979		1902–1989
1980	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....	1911–2004
1981	Lech Walesa Lech Walesa Lech Walesa is a Poland politician and a former trade union and human rights activist. He co-founded Solidarity , the Eastern bloc first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995....	b. 1943
1982	The Computer Personal computer A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose original sales price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end user, with no intervening computer operator....		Machine of the Year; first non-human chosen; abstract choice
1983	Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States and the 33rd Governor of California . Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Los Angeles, California in the 1930s, where he was an actor, president of the Screen Actors Guild , and a spokesman for General Electric ....	1911–2004	2nd time chosen, 7th president chosen
1983	Yuri Andropov Yuri Andropov Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov was a Soviet Union politician and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 12 November 1982 until his death fifteen months later....	1914–1984
1984	Peter Ueberroth Peter Ueberroth Peter Victor Ueberroth is an United States executive. He served as the 6th Baseball commissioner of Major League Baseball from 1984 in baseball to 1989 in baseball....	b. 1937
1985	Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping was a prominent Chinese revolutionary, politician, pragmatist and reformer, as well as the late leader of the Communist Party of China ....	1904–1997	2nd time chosen; Oldest person chosen (aged 81)
1986		b. 1933
1987	Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a Russian politician. He was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until 1991, and also the last head of state of the USSR, serving from 1988 until its collapse in 1991....	b. 1931
1988	The Endangered Earth Environmentalism Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and social movement centered on a concern for the Conservation movement and improvement of the environment ....		Planet of the Year; 2nd non-human chosen; abstract choice
1989	Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a Russian politician. He was the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 until 1991, and also the last head of state of the USSR, serving from 1988 until its collapse in 1991....	b. 1931	Man of the Decade; 2nd time chosen
1990	George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Bush held a variety of political positions prior to his presidency, including Vice President of the United States in the administration of Ronald Reagan and Director of Central Intelligence under Gerald R....	b. 1924	Bush was referred to as The Two George Bushes — this is not a reference to George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001.... but to how George H.W. Bush was complimented for international affairs and criticized for domestic affairs, including his quote, "Read my lips: no new taxes Read my lips: no new taxes "Read my lips: no new taxes" is a now-famous phrase spoken by former American President of the United States and candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 1988 Republican National Convention as he accepted the nomination on August 18.... ." 8th president chosen
1991	Ted Turner Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an United States media proprietor. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel....	b. 1938
1992	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	b. 1946
1993	Peacemaker PeaceMaker *PeaceMaker* is a 1997 self-released demo by Sonata Arctica . "Tallulah" was re-recorded on the album Silence . "Peacemaker" later reappeared on the CD single "Wolf & Raven" as a b-side.... s		Represented by Yasser Arafat Yasser Arafat Mohammed Abdel Rahman Abdel Raouf Arafat al-Qudwa al-Husseini , popularly known as Yasser Arafat or by his Kunya Abu Ammar , was a Palestinian people leader.... , F.W. de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk Frederik Willem de Klerk was the last State President of History of South Africa in the apartheid era South Africa, serving from September 1989 to May 1994.... , Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was the first President of South Africa of South Africa to be elected in a universal suffrage democratic election, serving in the office from 1994?99.... , and Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin was an Israeli politician and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–1977 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....
1994	Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II John Paul II is widely acclaimed as one of the most influential leaders of the twentieth century. He has been Pope_John_Paul_II#Role_in_the_fall_of_Communism in bringing down communism in Eastern Europe, as well as significantly improving the Roman Catholic Church's relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and A...	1920–2005	2nd Pope chosen
1995	Newt Gingrich Newt Gingrich Newton "Newt" Leroy Gingrich is an American politician and author, who served as the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999....	b. 1943
1996	David Ho David Ho David Da-i Ho is a Taiwanese American AIDS researcher famous for pioneering the use of protease inhibitors in treating HIV-infected patients with his team....	b. 1952
1997		b. 1936
1998	Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the fifteenth Democrat elected to that office....	b. 1946	2nd time chosen, 9th president chosen
1998	Kenneth Starr Kenneth Starr Kenneth Winston Starr is an United States lawyer and former judge and solicitor general who was appointed to the Office of the Independent Counsel to investigate the suicide death of the deputy White House counsel Vince Foster and the Whitewater controversy land transactions by U.S....	b. 1946
1999	Jeffrey P. Bezos Jeff Bezos Jeffrey Preston Bezos is the American founder, president, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Amazon.com. Bezos, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University, worked as a quantitative analyst for D....	b. 1964
2000	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	b. 1946	First winner to be a relative of a former winner
2001	Rudolph Giuliani Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani is an United States of America lawyer, businessman and politician from the U.S. state of New York who was Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....	b. 1944
2002	Whistleblower Whistleblower A whistleblower is a person who alleges misconduct. More complex definitions may be used, but the issue is that the whistleblower usually faces reprisal.... s		Represented by Cynthia Cooper Cynthia Cooper (WorldCom) Cynthia Cooper is a native of Clinton, Mississippi who formerly served as the Vice President of Internal Audit at WorldCom. In 2002, Cooper and her team of auditors worked together and often at night and in secret to investigate and unearth $3.8 billion in fraud at WorldCom.... , WorldCom Worldcom Worldcom may refer to:* MCI Inc.* Worldcom Public Relations GroupExternal References:... ; Coleen Rowley Coleen Rowley Coleen Rowley is a former FBI agent and whistleblower, and was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidate for United States House of Representatives in Minnesota's 2nd congressional district, one of eight Minnesota Congressional Districts in 2006.... , FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the primary unit in the United States United States Department of Justice, serving as both a Law enforcement agency body and a domestic intelligence agency.... ; and Sherron Watkins Sherron Watkins Sherron Watkins was Vice President of Corporate Development at the Enron. She is considered by many to be the whistleblower who helped to uncover the Timeline of the Enron scandal in 2001.... , Enron Enron Enron Creditors Recovery Corporation was an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, Texas. Before its bankruptcy in late 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, pulp and paper, and communications companies, with claimed revenues of nearly $101 billion in 2000....
2003	American Soldier Military of the United States The United States Armed Forces are the overall unified armed forces of the United States. The United States military was first formed by the second Second Continental Congress to defend the new nation against the British Empire in the American Revolutionary War....		Abstract choice; 2nd time chosen
2004	George W. Bush George W. Bush George Walker Bush served as the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He was the 46th List of Governors of Texas from 1995 to 2000 before being United States presidential inauguration as President on January 20, 2001....	b. 1946	2nd time chosen, 10th president chosen
2005			Represented by Bono Bono Paul David Hewson , also known by his stage name Bono, is the main vocalist of the Ireland rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his future wife, Ali Hewson, and the future members of U2.... , Bill Gates Bill Gates William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an United States business magnate, philanthropist, author, the List of the 100 wealthiest people , and chairman of the board of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen.... , and Melinda Gates Melinda Gates Melinda French Gates is an American philanthropist. She is the co-founder and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and a former unit manager for several Microsoft products such as Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Bob, Encarta, and Expedia....
2006	You You (Time Person of the Year) In 2006 Time magazine chose the millions of anonymous contributors of user-generated content to Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Second Life, the Linux Operating System, and other providers, as Person of the Year, personified simply as You....		Abstract choice; A salute to the individual content creator on the World Wide Web World Wide Web The World Wide Web is a very large set of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. With a Web browser, one can view Web pages that may contain writing, s, videos, and other multimedia and navigate between them using hyperlinks....
2007	Vladimir Putin Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin was the second President of Russia and is the current Prime Minister of Russia as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus....	b. 1952
2008	Barack Obama Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II is the List of Presidents of the United States and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office....	b. 1961

Person of the Year

History

Controversy

Persons of the Year

See also

External links