Time Person of the Year

Table columns:
Year
Image
Choice
Lifetime
Notes
Runners-up

Table rows:
cells: 1927
Lindbergh, CharlesCharles Lindbergh
1902–1974
In 1927, Lindbergh became the first person to fly a plane solo non-stop across the Atlantic, from New York to Paris.
cells: 1928
Chrysler, WalterWalter Chrysler
1875–1940
In 1928, Chrysler oversaw a merger of his Chrysler Corporation with Dodge before beginning work on the Chrysler Building.
cells: 1929
Young, Owen D.Owen D. Young
1874–1962
Young chaired a committee which authored 1929's Young Plan, a program for settlement of German reparations after World War I.
cells: 1930
Gandhi, MahatmaMahatma Gandhi
1869–1948
Gandhi was the leader of the India's independence movement. In 1930, he led the Salt Satyagraha, a 240-mile march to protest the imposition of taxes on salt by the British Raj.
cells: 1931
Laval, PierrePierre Laval
1883–1945
Laval was first elected Prime Minister of France in 1931. Laval was popular in the American press at the time for opposing the Hoover Moratorium, a temporary freeze on World War I debt payments that was disliked in both France and the US.[18]
cells: 1932
Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt
1882–1945
Roosevelt won the 1932 US Presidential election by a landslide, defeating the incumbent, Herbert Hoover.
cells: 1933
Johnson, Hugh S.Hugh S. Johnson
1882–1942
In 1933, Johnson was appointed director of the National Recovery Administration, tasked by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to bring industry, labor and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices.
cells: 1934
Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt (2)
1882–1945
Roosevelt was President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. In 1934, Roosevelt's New Deal reforms were beginning to bear fruit.
cells: 1935
Selassie, HaileHaile Selassie
1892–1975
Selassie was Emperor of Ethiopia in 1935, when Italian forces invaded Ethiopia, starting the Second Italo-Abyssinian War.
cells: 1936
Simpson, WallisWallis Simpson
1896–1986
In 1936, Simpson's relationship with King Edward VIII led the king to abdicate his throne in order to marry her.
cells: 1937
Kai-shek, ChiangChiang Kai-shek
1887–1975
Chiang was Premier of the Republic of China at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937.
cells: Mei-ling, SoongSoong Mei-ling
1898–2003
Soong was wife of Chiang Kai-shek from 1927 until his death in 1975. Addressed as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek by the magazine, she was recognized together with her husband as "Man & Wife of the Year".[5]
cells: 1938
Hitler, AdolfAdolf Hitler
1889–1945
As German Chancellor, Hitler oversaw the unification of Germany with Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938, after the Anschluss and Munich Agreement respectively.
cells: 1939
Stalin, JosephJoseph Stalin
1878–1953
In 1939, Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and de facto leader of the Soviet Union. He oversaw the signing of a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany before invading eastern Poland.
cells: 1940
Churchill, WinstonWinston Churchill
1874–1965
Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain.
cells: 1941
Roosevelt, Franklin D.Franklin D. Roosevelt (3)
1882–1945
Roosevelt was President of the United States in 1941 during the attack on Pearl Harbor, declaration of war against Japan and resulting entry of the United States into World War II. The editors had already chosen Dumbo as their "Mammal of the Year" before the Pearl Harbor attack, but quickly changed it to Roosevelt.[11]
cells: 1942
Stalin, JosephJoseph Stalin (2)
1878–1953
By 1942, Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Premier of the Soviet Union, overseeing the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943).
cells: 1943
Marshall, GeorgeGeorge Marshall
1880–1959
As United States Army Chief of Staff in 1943, General Marshall was instrumental in organizing US actions in World War II.
cells: 1944
Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower
1890–1969
General Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during 1944's Operation Overlord.
cells: 1945
Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman
1884–1972
Truman became President of the United States after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1945, authorizing the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
cells: 1946
Byrnes, James F.James F. Byrnes
1879–1972
In 1946, Byrnes was United States Secretary of State during the Iran crisis of 1946, taking an increasingly hardline position in opposition to Stalin. His speech, "Restatement of Policy on Germany", set the tone of future US policy, repudiating the Morgenthau Plan economic policies and giving Germans hope for the future.
cells: 1947
Marshall, GeorgeGeorge Marshall (2)
1880–1959
Appointed United States Secretary of State in 1947, Marshall was the architect of the Marshall Plan.
cells: 1948
Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman (2)
1884–1972
Truman was elected in his own right as President of the United States in 1948, considered to be one of the greatest election upsets in American history.[19][20][21]
cells: 1949
Churchill, WinstonWinston Churchill (2)
1874–1965
Proclaimed as the "Man of the half-century", Churchill had led Britain and the Allies to victory in WWII. In 1949, Churchill was Leader of the Opposition.
cells: 1950
American fighting !The American fighting-man
Representing U.S. troops involved in the Korean War (1950–1953).
cells: 1951
Mossadegh, MohammadMohammad Mossadegh
1882–1967
In 1951, Mossadegh was elected as Prime Minister of Iran and expelled western oil companies, starting the Abadan Crisis
cells: 1952
Elizabeth !Elizabeth II
Born in 1926
In 1952, Elizabeth acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom[a] upon the death of her father, King George VI
cells: 1953
Adenauer, KonradKonrad Adenauer
1876–1967
In 1953, Adenauer was re-elected as Chancellor of West Germany.
cells: 1954
Dulles, John FosterJohn Foster Dulles
1888–1959
As United States Secretary of State in 1954, Dulles was architect of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization.
cells: 1955
Curtice, HarlowHarlow Curtice
1893–1962
Curtice was President of General Motors (GM) from 1953 to 1958. In 1955, GM sold five million vehicles and became the first corporation to earn US$1 billion in a single year.[22]
cells: 1956
Hungarian !The Hungarian freedom fighter
Representing Hungarian revolutionaries involved in the failed 1956 uprising.
cells: 1957
Khrushchev, NikitaNikita Khrushchev
1894–1971
In 1957, Khrushchev consolidated his leadership of the Soviet Union, surviving a plot to dismiss him by members of the Presidium, and leading the Soviet Union into the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik 1.
cells: 1958
de Gaulle, CharlesCharles de Gaulle
1890–1970
De Gaulle was appointed Prime Minister of France in May 1958 and, following the collapse of the Fourth Republic and establishment of the Fifth Republic, was then elected President of France in December.
cells: 1959
Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (2)
1890–1969
Eisenhower was President of the United States from 1953 to 1961.
cells: 1960
Us Scientists !U.S. Scientists
Represented by George Beadle, Charles Draper, John Enders, Donald A. Glaser, Joshua Lederberg, Willard Libby, Linus Pauling, Edward Purcell, Isidor Rabi, Emilio Segrè, William Shockley, Edward Teller, Charles Townes, James Van Allen and Robert Woodward.
cells: 1961
Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy
1917–1963
Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States in 1961, ordering the failed invasion of Cuba by U.S.-trained Cuban exiles.
cells: 1962
John XXIII, PopePope John XXIII
1881–1963
John XXIII was head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963. In 1962, he volunteered as a mediator in the Cuban Missile Crisis, gaining praise from both sides. He also initiated the Second Vatican Council that same year.
cells: 1963
King Jr., Martin LutherMartin Luther King Jr.
1929–1968
A leader of the Civil Rights Movement, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.
cells: 1964
Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson
1908–1973
Johnson was elected in his own right as President of the United States in 1964, before securing the passage of the Civil Rights Act, declaring a War on Poverty and escalating U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
cells: 1965
Westmoreland, WilliamWilliam Westmoreland
1914–2005
General Westmoreland was commander of U.S. forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
cells: 1966
Inheritor !The Inheritor
Representing a generation of American men and women, aged 25 and under.
cells: 1967
Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (2)
1908–1973
Johnson was President of the United States from 1963 to 1969.
cells: 1968
Apollo !The Apollo 8 astronauts
In 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 (William Anders, Frank Borman and Jim Lovell) became the first humans to travel beyond low Earth orbit, orbiting the Moon and paving the way for the first manned Moon landings in 1969.
cells: 1969
Middle America !The Middle Americans
Also referred to as the silent majority.[23]
cells: 1970
Brandt, WillyWilly Brandt
1913–1992
As Chancellor of West Germany, Brandt was acknowledged for "seeking to bring about a fresh relationship between East and West" through his "bold approach to the Soviet Union and the East Bloc".[24]
cells: 1971
Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon
1913–1994
Nixon was President of the United States from 1969 to 1974.
cells: 1972
Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (2)
1913–1994
As President of the United States, Nixon visited China in 1972, the first U.S. President to do so. Nixon later secured the SALT I pact with the Soviet Union before being re-elected in one of the largest landslide election victories in American history
cells: Kissinger, HenryHenry Kissinger
Born in 1923
Kissinger, as Nixon's National Security Advisor, travelled with the President to China in 1972.
cells: 1973
Sirica, JohnJohn Sirica
1904–1992
In 1973, as Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Sirica ordered President Nixon to turn over Watergate-related recordings of White House conversations.
cells: 1974
Faisal !King Faisal
1906–1975
Faisal, King of Saudi Arabia, was acknowledged in the wake of the oil crisis of 1973–1974, caused by Saudi Arabia withdrawing its oil from world markets in protest at Western support for Israel during the Yom Kippur War.
cells: 1975
American women !American women
Represented by Susan Brownmiller, Kathleen Byerly, Alison Cheek, Jill Conway, Betty Ford, Ella Grasso, Carla Hills, Barbara Jordan, Billie Jean King, Carol Sutton, Susie Sharp, and Addie Wyatt.
cells: 1976
Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter
Born in 1924
In 1976, Carter was elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent President Gerald Ford.
cells: 1977
Sadat, AnwarAnwar Sadat
1918–1981
Sadat, as President of Egypt, traveled to Israel in 1977—the first Arab leader to do so—to discuss normalization of Egypt-Israel relations.
cells: 1978
Xiaoping, DengDeng Xiaoping
1904–1997
China's Vice Premier. Deng overthrew Hua Guofeng to assume de facto control over China in 1978, as Paramount Leader.
cells: 1979
Khomeini, RuhollahRuhollah Khomeini
1902–1989
Khomeini led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, establishing himself as Supreme Leader.
cells: 1980
Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan
1911–2004
Reagan was elected President of the United States in 1980, defeating incumbent President Jimmy Carter.
cells: 1981
Wałęsa, LechLech Wałęsa
Born in 1943
Leader of the Polish Solidarity trade union and architect of the Gdańsk Agreement until his arrest and the imposition of martial law in December 1981.
cells: 1982
Computer !The Computer
Denoted "Machine of the Year" to herald the dawn of the Information Age.
cells: 1983
Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (2)
1911–2004
In 1983, as President of the United States, Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada and championed the Strategic Defense Initiative.
cells: Andropov, YuriYuri Andropov
1914–1984
Andropov, as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was a strong critic of the Strategic Defense Initiative. Andropov was hospitalized in August 1983 and subsequently died in 1984.
cells: 1984
Ueberroth, PeterPeter Ueberroth
Born in 1937
Ueberroth orchestrated the organization of the 1984 Summer Olympics, which involved a Soviet-led boycott.
cells: 1985
Xiaoping, DengDeng Xiaoping (2)
1904–1997
As Paramount Leader of China, Deng was acknowledged for "sweeping economic reforms that have challenged Marxist orthodoxies".[25]
cells: 1986
Aquino, CorazonCorazon Aquino
1933–2009
Aquino was a prominent figure in 1986's People Power Revolution, being elected President of the Philippines.
cells: 1987
Gorbachev, MikhailMikhail Gorbachev
Born in 1931
As General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev oversaw Perestroika political reforms in 1987.
cells: 1988
Endangered !The Endangered Earth
Planet of the Year, involving an aspect of Mother Nature.
cells: 1989
Gorbachev, MikhailMikhail Gorbachev (2)
Born in 1931
Acknowledged as "Man of the Decade". Gorbachev, as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Soviet leader), oversaw 1989's first free Soviet elections before the fragmentation of the Eastern Bloc.
cells: 1990
Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush
Born in 1924
As President of the United States, Bush oversaw U.S. involvement in the Gulf War (1990–1991).
cells: 1991
Turner, TedTed Turner
Born in 1938
Founder of CNN. The piece particularly highlighted CNN's coverage of Operation Desert Storm and the Gulf War, proclaiming it "History as it happens".
cells: 1992
Clinton, BillBill Clinton
Born in 1946
Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, defeating incumbent President George H. W. Bush.
cells: 1993
Peacemakers !The Peacemakers
Represented by Yasser Arafat, F. W. de Klerk, Nelson Mandela, and Yitzhak Rabin. De Klerk, as State President of South Africa, oversaw Mandela's release from prison in 1990. The pair worked together to end the Apartheid system. Arafat, as President of the Palestinian National Authority, and Rabin, as Prime Minister of Israel, signed the 1993 Oslo Accord, the first face-to-face agreement between Palestinian and Israeli authorities.
cells: 1994
John Paul II, PopePope John Paul II
1920–2005
Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005.
cells: 1995
Gingrich, NewtNewt Gingrich
Born in 1943
Leader of the "Republican Revolution", a Republican party election landslide, which led to Gingrich being elected Speaker of the House.
cells: 1996
Ho, DavidDavid Ho
Born in 1952
Ho, a scientist, pioneered much AIDS research.
cells: 1997
Grove, AndrewAndrew Grove
1936–2016
In 1997, Grove was Chairman and CEO of Intel, recognized as a pioneer in the semiconductor industry.
cells: 1998
Clinton, BillBill Clinton (2)
Born in 1946
As President of the United States, Clinton was impeached in 1998 following the Lewinsky scandal. The Senate acquitted him of the charges.
cells: Starr, KenKen Starr
Born in 1946
Starr, a lawyer investigating various figures within the Clinton administration, published his Starr Report in 1998, opening the door for the impeachment of Bill Clinton.
cells: 1999
Bezos, JeffJeff Bezos
Born in 1964
Bezos is founder and CEO of Amazon.com.
cells: 2000
Bush, George W.George W. Bush
Born in 1946
In 2000, Bush was elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Vice President Al Gore.
cells: 2001
Giuliani, RudyRudy Giuliani
Born in 1944
Giuliani was Mayor of New York City at the time of the September 11 attacks in 2001, was selected as a symbol of America's response to the attacks.
cells: 2002
Whistleblowers !The Whistleblowers
Represented by Cynthia Cooper, Coleen Rowley and Sherron Watkins. In 2001, Watkins uncovered accounting irregularities in the financial reports of Enron, testifying before Congressional committees the following year. In 2002, Cooper exposed a $3.8 billion fraud at WorldCom. At the time, this was the largest incident of accounting fraud in U.S. history. In 2002, Rowley, an FBI agent, gave testimony about the FBI's mishandling of information related to the September 11 attacks of 2001.
cells: 2003
American soldier !The American soldier (2)
Representing U.S. forces around the world, especially in the Iraq War (2003–2011).
cells: 2004
Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2)
Born in 1946
In 2004, Bush was re-elected President of the United States, overseeing U.S. involvement in the Iraq War.
cells: 2005
Good Samaritans !The Good Samaritans
Represented by Bono, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates. Bono, philanthropist and member of the rock band U2, helped to organise the 2005 Live 8 concerts. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and richest person in the world, and his wife Melinda, founded the philanthropic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
cells: 2006
You !You[10]
Representing individual content creators on the World Wide Web.
4 runners-up[show] Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Hu Jintao Kim Jong-il James Baker [26]
cells: 2007
Putin, VladimirVladimir Putin[27]
Born in 1952
In 2007, Putin was serving as President of Russia.
4 runners-up[show] Al Gore J. K. Rowling Hu Jintao David Petraeus [28]
cells: 2008
Obama, BarackBarack Obama[29]
Born in 1961
In 2008, Obama was elected President of the United States, defeating John McCain.
4 runners-up[show] Henry Paulson Nicolas Sarkozy Sarah Palin Zhang Yimou [30]
cells: 2009
Bernanke, BenBen Bernanke[31]
Born in 1953
Chairman of the Federal Reserve during the Financial crisis of 2007–08.
4 runners-up[show] Stanley McChrystal The Chinese Worker Nancy Pelosi Usain Bolt [32]
cells: 2010
Zuckerberg, MarkMark Zuckerberg[33]
Born in 1984
Founder of social-networking website Facebook.
4 runners-up[show] The Tea Party Hamid Karzai Julian Assange The Chilean Miners [34]
cells: 2011
Protester !The Protester[35]
Representing many global protest movements — for example, the Arab Spring, the Indignants Movement, the Occupy Movement and the Tea Party movement — as well as protests in Chile, Greece, India and Russia among others.
4 runners-up[show] William McRaven Ai Weiwei Paul Ryan Kate Middleton [36]
cells: 2012
Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2)[37]
Born in 1961
In 2012, Obama was re-elected President of the United States, defeating Mitt Romney.
8 runners-up[show] Marissa Mayer Mohammed Morsi Undocumented Americans Bill and Hillary Clinton Malala Yousafzai Tim Cook The Higgs boson Fabiola Gianotti [38]
cells: 2013
Francis, PopePope Francis[39]
Born in 1936
Elected head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.
9 runners-up[show] Bashar Assad Jeff Bezos Ted Cruz Miley Cyrus Barack Obama Hassan Rouhani Kathleen Sebelius Edward Snowden Edith Windsor [40]
cells: 2014
Ebola !Ebola fighters[41]
"Ebola fighters" refers to health care workers who helped stop the spread of Ebola virus disease during the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, including not only doctors and nurses, but also ambulance attendants, burial parties and others.[42] Represented on the covers by Dr. Jerry Brown, the medical director at the Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia,[43][44] Dr. Kent Brantly, a physician with Samaritan's Purse and the first American to be infected in the 2014 outbreak,[44][45] Ella Watson-Stryker, a health promoter for Doctors Without Borders who is originally from the United States,[44][46] Foday Gallah, an ambulance supervisor and Ebola survivor from Monrovia, Liberia,[44][47] and Salome Karwah, a trainee nurse and counselor from Liberia whose parents died of Ebola,[44][48] as well as others mentioned in the article itself, such as Dr. Pardis Sabeti from the Broad Institute.
7 runners-up[show] The Ferguson protesters Vladimir Putin Taylor Swift Jack Ma Tim Cook Masoud Barzani Roger Goodell [49]
cells: 2015
Merkel, AngelaAngela Merkel
Born in 1954
Chancellor of Germany since 2005, recognized for leadership in the Greek debt crisis and European migrant crisis.[50]
7 runners-up[show] Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Black Lives Matter activists Caitlyn Jenner Travis Kalanick Vladimir Putin Hassan Rouhani Donald Trump [51]
cells: 2016
Trump, DonaldDonald Trump
Born in 1946
In 2016, Trump was elected President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton.
10 runners-up[show] Simone Biles Hillary Clinton CRISPR scientists Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Nigel Farage The Flint Whistleblowers Beyoncé Knowles Narendra Modi Vladimir Putin Mark Zuckerberg [52]
cells: 2017
Silence Breakers !The Silence Breakers
The people who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment, including the figureheads of the Me Too movement. Represented on the cover by strawberry picker Isabel Pascual (pseudonym), lobbyist Adama Iwu, actress Ashley Judd, software engineer Susan Fowler, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, and a sixth woman, a hospital worker who wished to remain anonymous and whose face cannot be seen. The feature also specifically spotlights, in order, actress Alyssa Milano, activist Tarana Burke, actress Selma Blair, the seven plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the Plaza Hotel, politician Sara Gelser, entrepreneur Lindsay Meyer, dishwasher Sandra Pezqueda, actress Rose McGowan, psychotherapist and writer Wendy Walsh, blogger Lindsey Reynolds, housekeeper Juana Melara, journalist Sandra Muller, actor Terry Crews, University of Rochester professors Celeste Kidd and Jessica Cantlon, journalist Megyn Kelly, journalist Jane Merrick, producer Zelda Perkins, European Parliament member Terry Reintke, charity worker Bex Bailey, art curator Amanda Schmitt, filmmaker Blaise Godbe Lipman, and an anonymous former office assistant. [53][54]
6 runners-up[show] Donald Trump[b] Xi Jinping Robert Mueller Kim Jong-un Colin Kaepernick Patty Jenkins [56]

Questions about this table:
originalText: who was named time person of the year
answer: answerTexts: The Silence Breakers