Special Sub-Topic: Time's Men Of The Year Click Here To Play: Time's Men Of The Year

In 1927 the son of a U.S. Congressman of Minnesota , Charles Augustus _________was chosen as Time's Man of the Year. In 1932 however, Time described him as the Victim of the Year, when his son and namesake Charles Augustus__________Jr. was kidnapped from the family-home in New Jersey. He played a role in the invention of an artificial heart ,he caused some irritation in 1938 by accepting a German medal of honour from the hands of Herman Goering himself and was up till Pearl Harbour active in a crusade against USA involvement in World War II. What was the surname of this Colonel of the U.S.A. army and pioneer of aviation?

Lindbergh. His nickname was the Lone Eagle. The name of his plane was The Spirit of Saint Louis.The day of his landing in Paris: May 21, 1927. He died of cancer on Aug.26,1974.

When in 1930 the Time staff had to decide on who was going to be on the cover of their Man of the Year issue, they hesitated between candidates such as Josef Vissarionovitch Dzhugashvili aka Stalin, James Ramsay MacDonald, Adolf Hitler and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Which of them did they finally nominate?

Gandhi. James Ramsay MacDonald's main achievement had been the London Naval Treaty. Hitler had unexpectedly mobilised 6,401,210 Fascist votes. Stalin had wiped unemployment from the map of Russia by the introduction of his Five-Year Plan. At least that was what the Time staff seemed to believe. Gandhi was in prison at Poona after his successful March to the Sea in March of that year. Americans somehow saw parallels between his defying a British salt tax and their own memories of the Boston Tea Party.

The 1931 'winner' was the French politician Pierre _________ who had been called upon to take the Premiership of the French Government, after Aristide Briand had refused to accept the job. Alas in 1940 he was to become notorious as a leading member of the Vichy Government and in October 1945 he was executed for collaboration. His surname can be read as a palindrome. What is it?

Laval. It was Pierre Laval's harangue on July 10, 1940 that persuaded the French Assembly to abdicate its powers to Marshall Petain. Petain rewarded him for this with an appointment as Chief of the Government of the French State.Laval closely collaborated with Hitler in persecuting the members of the French Resistance and the Jewish part of the French population. Aristide Briand had been eleven times PM of France already in 1931 and preferred to stay in Geneva where he had withdrawn from political life.

In 1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt was 'Man of the Year'. How often did he get that 'title' in the course of his career?

three times. 1932,1934 and 1941. Also, his successor Harry Truman got the nomination more than once: 1945 and 1948.

In 1935 an non-white was chosen as man of the year. Who was he?

the Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. Chiang Kai Shek shared it with his wife in 1937. Haile Selassie was on the Time cover in 1935. Even Pearl Harbour did not earn Hiro Hito a place on the Time's Man of the Year cover. Joe Louis won himself a place in the heart of many people all around the world, but his political impact was too peaceful probably for any higher award.

In 1936 there was no 'Man' of the Year, but a Woman of the Year. Mrs Wallis Warfield Simpson won the title. It took 16 years before another woman managed to push all male rivalry aside: Queen Elizabeth II. In 1975 there was some 'collective nomination' to honour the merit of women. To whom was the nomination addressed?

American Women. Well there must have been some Women Libbing in the air, but Germaine Greer would probably have been too controversial a candidate to earn the recognition for herself alone.

1938 saw Adolf Hitler on the Time cover as Man of the Year. Alas he was to remain a force to be counted with for more years than just 1938. His main achievement had been a conference with such European top politicians as the British PM Neville Chamberlain, the French Premier Daladier, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini during which the political map of Europe had been re-drawn in his favour. Where did this meeting take place?

Munich. It was also the year of Orson Welles' 'War of the Worlds' Broadcast. Chamberlain's weakness in 1938 was to lead to the rise of Sir Winston Churchill who was to become Time's Man of the Year in 1940 and in 1949.

After nominating Adolf Hitler Man of the Year the Time staff may have been a little cautious about nominating Germans once again. Who was the first German after Hitler to earn the nomination?

Konrad Adenauer. Adenauer in 1953. Brandt in 1970.

American Presidents were first in line for earning a recognition of their merits. Which of these NEVER won the title?

Gerald Ford. As a President Eisenhower won it in in 1959. That was the year before his stormy meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Paris, when the U2 incident spoiled the Summit. Kennedy won it in 1961, Lyndon B.Johnson in 1964 and in 1967, Nixon in 1971, Carter in 1976, Reagan in 1980, Bush in 1990 and Clinton in 1992. There can be no denying that winning the Presidential Elections is a good start for anyone who ever wants to become Man of the Year. Poor Gerald Ford probably left the honour to Judge John J. Sirica.(1973).

It may be a consolation that some of the great performers in World Politics never won the nomination either. Which of these is the only Chinese leader that ever was the Man of the Year?

Teng Hsiao P'ing (aka Deng Xiaoping). Deng lived from 1904 till 1997.Lin Piao lived from 1908 till 1971.Chou En Lai lived from 1898 till 1976.Mao lived from 1883 till 1976.

With the years Time became more frivolous in nominating Men of the Year.A number of times they nominated 'pairs' of men. In 1993 they even nominated FOUR people as 'the Peacemakers'. Which of these was NOT one of them?

Anwar Sadat. Anwar Sadat had been nominated as Man of the Year in 1977 after making peace with Menahem Begin. The missing man in this quartet is of course Yitzak Rabin.

Funnily enough in 1990 Time chose the two George Bush's as 'Man of the Year' and they did not mean George Bush Sr and George Bush Jr. Another pair had been Nixon and Kissinger in 1972. With whom did Ronald Reagan share the honour in 1983?

Yuri Andropov. Lech Walesa got the title in 1981. Reagan got it in 1980 and once again in 1983 when he had to share it with Yuri Andropov. He never shared it with Gorbachev who won it in 1987 and 1989. Ayatollah Khomeini was Man of the Year in 1979. He was not the first Iranian to be chosen. In 1951 Dr Mohammed Mossadegh had preceded him.

'Collective Men of the Year' had been chosen already in 1950: the American Fighting Men {;} 1956 the Hungarian Freedom Fighters {;1960} : The US {Scientists;} 1966 'the 25 and {Under';} 1968 the Astronauts Anders, Borman and Lovell ( Neil Armstrong never made it {!);1969} the Middle Americans. 1982 saw a complete innovation: not a human being was chosen but a 'Thing'. What was it?

The Computer. Endangered Earth was chosen in 1988.

Being a general helps somewhat to be chosen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was chosen in 1944, long before he had become a President. Being a car-manufacturer also may be helpful.(1928 Walter P.Chrysler). 'Inventing' CNN is what Ted Turner had done. (1991) Writing books is definitely not enough. Even being Pope is in itself not enough. Yet two Popes made it. The present Pope, John Paul II was Man of the Year in 1994. Who was the only Pope who had preceded him?

John XXIII. Pius XII was Pope from 1939 till 1958. John XIII from 1958 till 1963.Paul VI from 1963 till 1978.john Paul I from 26 August till 28 September 1978.

That it is not quite necessary to be your country's leader to be chosen as Man of the Year, was proven by John Foster Dulles in 1954, Martin Luther King in 1963, General Westmoreland in 1965, John J.Sirica the Watergate Judge in 1973 or Newt Gingrich in 1995.Some of the more important leaders of countries never made it.Which of these was never chosen?

Leonid Brezhnev. Khrushchev 1957.De Gaulle 1958. Corazon Aquino 1986. A consolation for Brezhnev, Dubcek did not make it either. King Faisal made it in {1974;} King Hussein of Jordan did not. Leonid Brezhnev lived from 1906-1982. He called himself 'the Party's loyal soldier'.