Every year the US American Time Magazine awards the title “Person Of The Year“. It is in 2021 Elon Musk. But why did it become the Tesla boss? And who won in previous years?
Elon Musk as “Person Of The Year”
Elon Musk is the richest person in the world, and not only leads Tesla, but also the private space company SpaceX. In the long article from Time magazine on “Person Of The Year” he is described as follows, among other things:
“He is the man who strives to save our planet and to get us a new one to inhabit: clown, genius, edgelord, visionary, industrialist, showman, buddy; a crazy hybrid of Thomas Edison, PT Barnum, Andrew Carnegie and Watchmens Doctor Manhattan, the brooding, blue-skinned human god who invents electric cars and pulls them to Mars. “
Time Magazine
Elon Musk is “perhaps the best example of massive change in our society,” said Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal (via Tagesschau). He is committed to both the climate and more social justice. With Tesla, he put an entire industry in turmoil.
Who were the previous “Person Of The Year”?
In 1927 Time Magazine introduced the Man Of The Year selection. Since 2000, the US magazine has been generalizing in “Person Of The Year”. However, so far very few women have received the title.
Whoever receives the title has not inevitably contributed to making the world a better place. For example, Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin were the people of 1938 and 1939, respectively. The point is that, in the opinion of the editors, one person has significantly changed or moved the world in a certain year. That can be in a good or a bad sense.
These people have become “Person Of The Year” over the past 20 years:
| year | person | Who? Why? | country |
| 2021 | Elon Musk | Entrepreneur | South Africa, USA |
| 2020 | Kamala Harris, Joe Biden | Vice President and President of the United States | USA |
| 2019 | Greta Thunberg | Climate protection activist | Sweden |
| 2018 | The Guardians and the War on Truth, including Jamal Kashoggi, Maria Ressa, Shahidul Alam, Alam Habani, Patricia Campos Mello, Victor Mallet, the editors of The Capital, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo . | Guardians include journalists who have been charged, imprisoned or murdered for reporting. | Global |
| 2017 | The Silence Breakers, represented by Isabel Pascual (pseudonym), Adam Iwu, Ashley Judd, Susan Fowler, Taylor Swift and an anonymous woman | In response to #MeToo | Global |
| 2016 | Donald Trump | President of the United States | USA |
| 2015 | Angela Merkel | German Chancellor | Germany |
| 2014 | Doctors in the fight against Ebola, represented by Kent Brantly (doctor & survivor), Jerry Brown (surgeon & clinic director), Foday Gallah (ambulance driver), Salome Karwah (Ebola survivor), Ella Watson-Stryker (doctors-without Border employee) | From 2014 to 2016, the world’s worst Ebola fever epidemic to date was in West Africa | West africa |
| 2013 | Pope Francis | Pope | Vatican City, Argentina |
| 2012 | Barack Obama | President of the United States | USA |
| 2011 | The protester | In response to the global protest rallies | Global |
| 2010 | Mark Zuckerberg | Founder of Facebook | USA |
| 2009 | Ben Bernanke | President of the Federal Reserve Board (central banking system of the United States) | USA |
| 2008 | Barack Obama | President of the United States | USA |
| 2007 | Wladimir Putin | President of the Russian Federation | Russia |
| 2006 | You. Yes, you. You control the information age. Welcome to your world (You. Yes, you. You influence the information age. Welcome to your world) | In response to Web 2.0, the Internet is being shaped by everyone | Global |
| 2005 | Bono Bill Gates, Melinda Gates |
Musician Software entrepreneurs and benefactors: in |
Ireland USA |
| 2004 | George W. Bush | President of the United States | USA |
| 2003 | The American soldier | Iraq war | USA |
| 2002 | Cynthia Cooper, Sherron Watkins, Coleen Rowley | Whistleblower | USA |
| 2001 | Rudolph Giuliani | Mayor of New York City | USA |
Person Of The Year 2021, Elon Musk, is criticized by many people, but also greatly adored and admired by many. Do you want to know more about him? These are, for example, book recommendations that Elon Musk would give. Also, did you know that the billionaire is an anime fan? Elon Musk recommends these anime films.
Sources: Time Magazine, Tagesschau, own research