Donald Trump named Time Person of the Year 2016
US president-elect beat Nigel Farage, Vladimir Putin and Beyonce - unlikely bedfellows in the magazine's shortlist
Donald Trump has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year 2016, beating nominees including Nigel Farage, Beyonce and Narendra Modi.
Trump said the title was a "great honour" which "meant a lot" to him.
Shrugging off a myriad of personal and political controversies, the former reality TV star was elected the 45th president of the United States in November, tapping into a wave of populist anger which stunned the world's establishment.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Time's award, for the person who "for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year", began in 1927, when the title went to pioneering aviator Charles Lindbergh.
Initially known as Man of the Year, the title was changed to Person of the Year in the 1990s, although the prize has also been given to groups and concepts, such as the American Soldier (in 1950 and 2003) and the Endangered Earth in 1988.
Last year, the title went to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was singled out for her high-profile role in managing negotiations over the Greek debt crisis and her leadership in response to the hundreds of thousands of migrants pouring into Europe from conflict zones.
Here's who else was in the running in 2016:
Simone Biles: The 19-year-old gymnast won four golds and one bronze for Team USA at this year's Olympics in Rio, her first Games.
Hillary Clinton: Although she lost the US presidential election, the former first lady, New York senator and secretary of state won the popular vote and was the first woman representing a major political party to run for office.
CRISPR scientists: The people searching for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) are responsible for a "groundbreaking new technology that can edit DNA", says Time. Their research could one day be used to detect and remove genetic mutations responsible for a host of currently incurable diseases.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Turkey's President survived a failed military coup in July and has since tightened his grip on power by purging the ranks of state employees and cracking down on press freedom.
Nigel Farage: The former Ukip leader was one of the faces of the successful campaign for Brexit, which in turn has become symbolic of the swing towards anti-establishment, populist politics that has swept across Europe and the US.
The Flint Whistleblowers: These are the dedicated residents of Flint, in Michigan, who made their voices heard on a national level to expose the environmental crisis poisoning their drinking water with lead.
Beyonce: The singer's Super Bowl half-time performance inspired by the Black Pride movement, together with her politically charged album Lemonade, sparked a national debate and showed that Queen Bey is not afraid to use her platform to draw attention to the most controversial issues in US society.
Narendra Modi: The Indian Prime Minister surprised the nation by announcing a sudden ban on 500 and 1,000 rupee notes. The move has caused chaotic scenes at banks and ATMs, but represented a bold step to solve the country's decades-long problem of tax avoidance and money-hoarding.
Vladimir Putin: Russia's fraught intervention in the Syrian conflict, along with evidence that the Kremlin tried to influence the US presidential election, have kept the Russian president in the headlines in 2016.
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook's founder was named Time's Person of the Year in 2010 and was in the running again. This year, the world's biggest social network was accessed by more than one billion mobile users a day for the first time, a sign of its unprecedented global reach.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published