Time 100
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The Time 100 is an annual list of the 100 most influential in the world, as assembled by Time magazine. The list was started with a debate at a symposium at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center on February 1, 1998 with panel participants CBS news anchor Dan Rather, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, former New York governor Mario Cuomo, then-political science professor Condoleezza Rice, neoconservative publisher Irving Kristol and TIME managing editor Walter Isaacson.
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[edit] History and format
The list was first published in 1999, when Time magazine named the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. Based on the popularity of the installment, in 2004 Time magazine decided to make it an annual feature in which the 100 people influencing the world most greatly were listed every year. Making the list is frequently mistaken as an honor; however, Time makes very clear that the people recognized are those who are changing the world for better or for worse. Each year only the five most influential groups are included: Leaders & Revolutionaries, Builders & Titans, Artists & Entertainers, Scientists & Thinkers, and Heroes & Icons. Within each category, only the 20 most influential people (sometimes pairs or small groups) are selected, for a grand total of 100 each year.
[edit] Multiple appearances
Although each category is given equal weight during any given year, people from some categories are more likely to make repeat appearances on the list from year to year. Because it's unlikely that any one person has a large impact on important world events and cultural trends more than once, because of market pressures to keep the list fresh, and because the list is compiled by a different group of editors every year, repeat appearances on the Time 100 are extremely rare. Only the following individuals have appeared more than once.
The order of the above list is based on the number of times each person has appeared on the Time 100. Those who are tied are listed alphabetically. Those list in bold are the select few whose repeat appearances include Time's ranking of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
[edit] Listed four times
- Bill Gates 2006, 2005, 2004 & the 20th century
- Oprah Winfrey 2006, 2005, 2004, & the 20th century
[edit] Listed three times
- George W. Bush 2006, 2005 & 2004
- Bill Clinton 2006, 2005, & 2004
- Nelson Mandela 2005, 2004 & the 20th century
- Condoleezza Rice 2006, 2005, & 2004
[edit] Listed twice
- Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi 2005 & 2004
- Pope Benedict XVI 2006 & 2005
- Bono 2006 & 2004
- Hugo Chávez 2006 & 2005
- Hillary Rodham Clinton 2006 & 2004
- Katie Couric 2006 & 2004
- The Dalai Lama 2005 & 2004
- The Google Guys 2005 & 2004
- Hu Jintao 2005 & 2004
- Steve Jobs 2005 & 2004
- Kim Jong Il 2005 & 2004
- Pope John Paul II 2004 & 20th century
- Rupert Murdoch 2005 & 2004
- Jeffrey Sachs 2005 & 2004
- Lee Scott 2005 & 2004
- Ali Husaini Sistani 2005 & 2004
- Meg Whitman 2005 & 2004
[edit] Controversies
The fact that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has never once been listed (let alone become a repeat listee) as one of the world’s most influential people caused mild controversy. Time magazine editor-at-large Michael Elliott defended the decision to consistently exclude Blair:
Gerhard Schroder and Jacques Chirac are not there either. This is a worldwide list. There are no Western European political leaders on it because they are not that powerful or influential at this time[1].
The list has not only generated controversy over whom it has excluded, but also who has been included. In 2005 conservative commentator Ann Coulter was listed causing Salon.com to observe:
When Time magazine named Ann Coulter among its 100 "most influential people" last week, alongside such heavyweights as Ariel Sharon, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Kim Jong Il and the Dalai Lama, the choice produced guffaws online. Plugging the issue on Fox News last week, Time executive editor Priscilla Painton insisted it was Coulter's use of "humor" that made her so influential, stopping just short of suggesting that Coulter is the conservative Jon Stewart. But even Fox's Bill O'Reilly wasn't buying it. He pressed Painton: "Do you think people, Americans, listen to Ann Coulter? Do you think she has influence in public opinion?"[2]
While Time magazine defended Coulter on the grounds that she is a best-selling author whose controversial commentary has impacted the discourse of the world's most powerful nation, she was not considered influential enough to make a repeat appearance on the list.
