Time Person of the Year

Person of the Year is a special issue of the American magazine Time.  It has been published each year since 1927.  Until 1999, it was called "Man of the Year."

Background
The "Person of the Year" is not always a person.  It can be a person, group, idea, or thing that "for better or for worse...has done the most to influence the events of the year".  This means that being chosen is not an award, like being chosen as the "best person of the year."  The Person of the Year may be an enemy of the United States, like Adolf Hitler (1938) or Joseph Stalin (1939 and 1942).  Every year, Time chooses the person who they think has had the most effect on the things that have happened in that year (whether those things were good or bad).

The first Man of the Year was aviator Charles Lindbergh, in 1927.  Since then, Persons of the Year have included groups, whole generations, important objects, and even the Earth.  Since the list began, every serving President of the United States has been a Person of the Year at least once, except for Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and Gerald Ford.  Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only person to have been named Person of the Year three times.

The December 31, 1999 issue of Time named Albert Einstein the "Person of the Century". Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mahatma Gandhi were chosen as runners-up.

Persons of the Year
 Year Image Choice Lifetime Notes Runners-up 1927 frameless|upright=0.5 1902–1974 Lindbergh completed the first solo transatlantic flight in May 1927 by piloting his monoplane Spirit of St. Louis from Garden City, New York to Paris, France. 1928 frameless|upright=0.5  1875–1940 In 1928, Chrysler oversaw a merger of his company, Chrysler, with Dodge before beginning work on the Chrysler Building. 1929 frameless|upright=0.5  1874–1962 Young chaired a committee which authored 1929's Young Plan, a program for settlement of German reparations after World War I. 1930 frameless|upright=0.5  1869–1948 Gandhi was the leader of 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. 1931 frameless|upright=0.5  1883–1945 Laval was first appointed Prime Minister of France in 1931. He 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. 1932 frameless|upright=0.5  1882–1945 Roosevelt won the 1932 US presidential election by a landslide, defeating the incumbent, Herbert Hoover. 1933 frameless|upright=0.5  1882–1942 In 1933, Johnson was appointed director of the National Recovery Administration. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave him the task of bringing industry, labor and government together to create codes of "fair practices" and set prices. 1934 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1882–1945 Roosevelt was President of the United States from 1933 to 1945. In 1934, Roosevelt's New Deal reforms were beginning to bring results. 1935 frameless|upright=0.5  1892–1975 Selassie was Emperor of Ethiopia in 1935, when Italian forces invaded Ethiopia, starting the Second Italo-Abyssinian War. 1936 frameless|upright=0.5  1896–1986 In 1936, Simpson's relationship with King Edward VIII of the United Kingdom led the king to abdicate the throne to marry her. 1937 frameless|upright=0.5  1887–1975 Chiang was Premier of the Republic of China at the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937. frameless|upright=0.5  1898–2003 Soong was wife of Chiang Kai-shek from 1927 until his death in 1975, and was active in rallying support for the Republic of China in the US. Addressed as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek by the magazine, she was recognized together with her husband as "Man & Wife of the Year". 1938 frameless|upright=0.5  1889–1945 As Chancellor of Germany, Hitler oversaw the unification of Germany with Austria and the Sudetenland in 1938, after the Anschluss and Munich Agreement respectively. Instead of a conventional portrait, the cover was an illustration by Rudolph von Ripper entitled 'From the unholy organist, a hymn of hate'. 1939 frameless|upright=0.5  1878–1953 In 1939, Stalin was General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Premier of the Soviet Union. He oversaw the signing of a non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany before invading eastern Poland. 1940 frameless|upright=0.5  1874–1965 Churchill was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain. 1941 frameless|upright=0.5  (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. 1942 frameless|upright=0.5  (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). 1943 frameless|upright=0.5  1880–1959 As United States Army Chief of Staff in 1943, General Marshall was instrumental in organizing US actions in World War II. 1944 frameless|upright=0.5  1890–1969 General Eisenhower was Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during 1944's Operation Overlord. 1945 frameless|upright=0.5  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. 1946 frameless|upright=0.5  1882–1972 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. 1947 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1880–1959 Appointed United States Secretary of State in 1947, Marshall was the architect of the Marshall Plan. 1948 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1884–1972 Truman was elected in his own right as President of the United States in 1948, which is considered to be one of the greatest election upsets in American history. 1949 frameless|upright=0.5  (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. 1950 frameless|upright=0.5  Representing US troops involved in the Korean War (1950–1953) 1951 frameless|upright=0.5  1882–1967 In 1951, Mossadegh was appointed Prime Minister of Iran and expelled western oil companies, starting the Abadan Crisis. 1952 frameless|upright=0.5  1926–2022 In 1952, Elizabeth acceded to the throne of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms upon the death of her father, King George VI. 1953 frameless|upright=0.5  1876–1967 In 1953, Adenauer was re-elected as Chancellor of West Germany. Adenauer was overseeing the reconstruction of Germany and the Economic Miracle, had successfully restored relations with Germany's wartime enemies in the West, and was working towards European integration. 1954 frameless|upright=0.5  1888–1959 As United States Secretary of State in 1954, Dulles was architect of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization. 1955 frameless|upright=0.5   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. (fee for article) 1956 frameless|upright=0.5  Representing Hungarian revolutionaries involved in the 1956 uprising against the Soviet-dominated government, which was put down by the Soviet Army 1957 frameless|upright=0.5  1894–1971 In 1957, Khrushchev consolidated his leadership of the Soviet Union, surviving a plot to dismiss him by Stalinist members within the Presidium, and leading the Soviet Union into the Space Race with the launch of Sputnik 1. 1958 frameless|upright=0.5  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 as President of France in December. 1959 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1890–1969 Eisenhower was President of the United States from 1953 to 1961. In 1959, Eisenhower arranged the state visit by Nikita Khrushchev to the United States and toured several countries, becoming the first US president to visit India. 1960 frameless|upright=0.5  Time claimed in 1960 "science is at the apogee of its power for good or evil", although it noted that "the 15 men [on the cover] include two or three whose greatest work is probably behind them". 
  1961 frameless|upright=0.5  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. 1962 frameless|upright=0.5 John XXIII 1881–1963 Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1958 to 1963. In 1962, he volunteered as a mediator in the Cuban Missile Crisis between the U.S. and USSR, gaining praise from both sides. He also initiated the Second Vatican Council that same year. 1963 frameless|upright=0.5  1929–1968 A leader of the American Civil rights movement, King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. 1964 frameless|upright=0.5  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 US involvement in the Vietnam War. 1965 frameless|upright=0.5  1914–2005 General Westmoreland was commander of US forces in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War. 1966 frameless|upright=0.5  Representing a generation of American men and women, aged 25 and under – the Baby Boom generation, who in 1966 made up nearly half the population and were influential both in the counterculture of the 1960s and as drafted soldiers in the Vietnam War. The face most prominently seen on the cover representing the generation was that of Thomas M. McLaughlin. 1967 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1908–1973 Johnson was President of the United States from 1963 to 1969. Time noted that it had been a year of setbacks and failures for Johnson, with race riots across the US, deepening involvement in the Vietnam War, and the Dump Johnson movement within his own party. 1968 frameless|upright=0.5  Frank Borman: 1928–2023Jim Lovell: Born 1928William Anders: 1933–2024 In 1968, the American 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 human Moon landings in 1969. 1969 frameless|upright=0.5  Conservative, small-town Americans, also referred to as the silent majority. Time saw Middle America as the driving force behind Richard Nixon's 1968 election win, the background of the American astronauts of Apollo 11, and the conservative side of debates on social issues such as school desegregation, prayer in public schools, sex education and drugs policy. 1970 frameless|upright=0.5  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". In 1970, Brandt renounced German claims on Poland and recognized East Germany, and acknowledged the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland with the symbolic Kniefall von Warschau. 1971 frameless|upright=0.5  1913–1994 Nixon was President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. In 1971, Nixon had withdrawn the US dollar from the gold standard, triggering the Nixon shock, created the Economic Stabilization Program, and re-opened relations with communist China. 1972 frameless|upright=0.5  (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. frameless|upright=0.5  1923–2023 Kissinger, as Nixon's National Security Advisor, traveled with the President to China in 1972, and was negotiating peace in the Vietnam War. 1973 frameless|upright=0.5  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. 1974 frameless|upright=0.5  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.  1975 frameless|upright=0.5  Highlighting the successes of the American feminist movement and "the status of the everyday, usually anonymous woman, who moved into the mainstream of jobs, ideas and policy making". 
   1976 frameless|upright=0.5  1924–2024 In 1976, Carter was elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent President Gerald Ford. 1977 frameless|upright=0.5  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. 1978 frameless|upright=0.5  1904–1997 Deng, as Vice Premier, overthrew Hua Guofeng to assume de facto control over China in 1978, as Paramount leader.  1979   1902–1989 Khomeini led the 1979 Iranian Revolution, establishing himself as Supreme Leader.  1980 frameless|upright=0.5  1911–2004 Reagan was elected President of the United States in 1980, defeating incumbent President Jimmy Carter.  1981 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1943 Leader of the Polish Solidarity trade union and architect of the Gdańsk Agreement until his arrest by the communist authorities and the imposition of martial law in Poland in December 1981  1982 frameless|upright=0.5  Denoted "Machine of the Year" to herald the dawn of the Information Age 
   1983frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1911–2004 In 1983, as President of the United States, Reagan ordered the invasion of Grenada and championed the Strategic Defense Initiative.  frameless|upright=0.5  1914–1984 Andropov, as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, was a critic of the Strategic Defense Initiative and tried to revive stagnating Soviet economy. Andropov was hospitalized in August 1983 and died in 1984. 1984 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1937 Ueberroth orchestrated the organization of the 1984 Summer Olympics, which involved a Soviet-led boycott.  1985 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1904–1997 As Paramount Leader of China, Deng acknowledged the need for "sweeping economic reforms that have challenged Marxist orthodoxies". In 1985, Deng had lifted price controls and eased the restrictions on private ownership and business.  1986 frameless|upright=0.5  1933–2009 Aquino was a prominent figure in 1986's People Power Revolution, being elected president of the Philippines.  1987 frameless|upright=0.5  1931–2022 As general secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev oversaw perestroika and glasnost political reforms in 1987, aimed at liberalizing Soviet society.  1988 frameless|upright=0.5  Planet of the Year, representing the growing environmental movement as well as several natural and ecological disasters that struck in 1988: among them were the 1988–1989 North American drought, "syringe tide", 1988 Bangladesh cyclone and 1988 Armenian earthquake, as well as ozone depletion, global warming, radioactive contamination and deforestation. 1989 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) 1931–2022 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 in history before the fragmentation of the Eastern Bloc and overthrow of Soviet-dominated communist governments in Eastern Europe. 1990 frameless|upright=0.5  1924–2018 As President of the United States, Bush oversaw U.S. involvement in the Gulf War (1990–1991).  1991 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 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".  1992 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1946 Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, defeating incumbent President George H. W. Bush. 1993 frameless|upright=0.5  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. In 1993, the pair were negotiating the end of the Apartheid system, and had just jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize. 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. 1994 frameless|upright=0.5 John Paul II 1920–2005 Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 to 2005. In 1994, he had been active in several social debates: he released a book-length interview and the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, ruled out the ordination of women, criticized the promotion of abortion and family planning at the Cairo Conference, and established relations with Israel. 1995 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1943 Leader of the "Republican Revolution", a Republican Party election landslide, which led to Gingrich being elected Speaker of the House 1996 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1952 Ho, a scientist, pioneered much AIDS research. In 1996, he had announced that a medical trial of combination therapy had reduced the viral load in HIV-positive patients to levels too low to be measured, changing the disease profile from terminal to a manageable disease. 1997 frameless|upright=0.5  1936–2016 In 1997, Grove was chairman and CEO of Intel, recognized as a pioneer in the semiconductor industry and taken as a representative of the Digital Revolution and the tech boom.  1998 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) Born 1946 As President of the United States, Clinton was impeached in 1998 following the Lewinsky scandal. The Senate acquitted him of the charges.  frameless|upright=0.5  1946–2022 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. 1999 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1964 Bezos is the founder and was the CEO of Amazon.com, at that point one of the most successful companies in the dot-com boom. 2000 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1946 In 2000, Bush was elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Vice President Al Gore.  2001 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1944 Giuliani, 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. 2002 frameless|upright=0.5  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. 2003 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) Representing U.S. forces around the world, especially in the Iraq War (2003–2011) 2004 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) Born 1946 In 2004, Bush was re-elected President of the United States, defeating John Kerry and overseeing US involvement in the Iraq War. 2005 frameless|upright=0.5frameless|upright=0.5  Represented by Bono, Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates. Bono, philanthropist and member of the rock band U2, helped to organize the 2005 Live 8 concerts. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and richest person in the world at the time, and his wife Melinda, founded the philanthropic Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 2006 frameless|upright=0.5  Representing individual content creators on the World Wide Web  2007 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1952 Putin was President of Russia from 2000 to 2008, and from 2012 onwards. In 2007, it was apparent that Putin's power would continue after his presidential term expired: he had suppressed much of the opposition to his rule, including having a suspected role in the 2006 assassination of Anna Politkovskaya and poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, and had secured his position as Prime Minister of Russia to his loyalist successor Dmitry Medvedev.  2008 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1961 In 2008, Obama was elected President of the United States, defeating John McCain to become the first African-American President of the United States in January 2009.  2009 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1953Chairman of the Federal Reserve during the financial crisis of 2007–08 and the following Great Recession  2010 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1984 Founder of the social-networking website Facebook. In 2010, Facebook passed half a billion users but was involved in privacy disputes, and Zuckerberg had been the subject of the Oscar-winning biographical film The Social Network.  2011 frameless|upright=0.5 Recognizing the historic significance of many grassroots protests across the world during that year, such as the ongoing Arab Spring and those against austerity measures in Greece and later in Spain, against corruption in India, against the drug war in Mexico, for education in Chile, for social justice in Israel, as well as the riots in England, the anti-government protests in Russia and the emerging global Occupy movement  2012 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) Born 1961 In 2012, Obama was re-elected President of the United States, defeating Mitt Romney.  2013frameless|upright=0.5 Francis 1936-2025 Elected Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI  2014 frameless|upright=0.5  fighters"Ebola fighters" refers to health care workers who helped stop the spread of the Ebola virus during the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, including not only doctors and nurses, but also ambulance attendants, burial parties and others. 
   2015 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1954 Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021, recognized for leadership in the Greek debt crisis and European migrant crisis  2016 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1946 In 2016, Trump was elected President of the United States, defeating Hillary Clinton.   2017 frameless|upright=0.5  The people who spoke out against sexual abuse and harassment, including the figureheads of the American MeToo 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. 
   2018 frameless|upright=0.5frameless|upright=0.5frameless|upright=0.5 Journalists who faced persecution, arrest or murder for their reporting. Those highlighted on four different covers were: 
Jamal Khashoggi, Washington Post columnist murdered for his criticism of the Saudi crown prince; 
Maria Ressa, editor of the Philippine news website Rappler, who was indicted for her critical coverage of Rodrigo Duterte's controversially violent policies; 
Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, Reuters journalists captured in Myanmar while investigating the Inn Din massacre;
the staff of The Capital, a Maryland newspaper whose office was targeted by a gunman who killed five of its employees in a mass shooting. 
   2019 frameless|upright=0.5  Born 2003 Swedish environmental activist and founder of the School Strike for Climate campaign. In 2019, Thunberg led the Global Week for Future with over four million protestors and addressed the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit with her "How Dare You" speech.  2020 frameless|upright=0.5 Born 1942 In 2020, Biden and Harris were elected President and Vice President of the United States respectively, defeating incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. In January 2021, Harris became the first woman, first African American, and first Asian American vice president.  frameless|upright=0.5  Born 1964 2021 frameless|upright=0.5 Born 1971 CEO of Tesla, Inc., founder and CEO of SpaceX. In 2021, Musk had become the richest person in the world and first person reported to have a net worth of over 300 billion US dollars. Recognized for the achievements of stated companies in the prior years, including the first all-civilian orbital flight, as well as his public image and controversies. Time did not release a shortlist for 2021. 2022 frameless|upright=0.5 Born 1978 President of Ukraine since 2019, and supreme commander-in-chief during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine 
  2023 frameless|upright=0.5 Born 1989Singer-songwriter whose 2023–2024 Eras Tour became the highest-grossing concert tour of all time. The tour had a significant cultural and economic impact in 2023. Time described Swift as the first Person of the Year to be recognized for their "achievement in the arts". Swift was also on the 2017 Person of the Year cover, called "The Silence Breakers". She was noted by the magazine as the first woman to appear twice on a Person of the Year cover. 2024 frameless|upright=0.5  (2) Born 1946 In 2024, Trump was re-elected President of the United States, defeating incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris and becoming the second president to win two nonconsecutive terms after Grover Cleveland.2025 frameless|upright=0.5 The Architects of AI  Highlights the "architects" behind the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, resulting in the AI boom. https://time.com/7339685/person-of-the-year-2025-ai-architects/
  Time did not release a shortlist for 2025.

References