TIME's Person Of The Year Hasn't Been A Solo Woman In 26 Years

    President Obama won this year, but women like teen activist Malala Yousafzai and Yahoo CEO Marisa Mayer were shortlisted for the title.

    Alanna Okun
    by Alanna Okun

    BuzzFeed Staff

    2012: Barack Obama

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    The cover was announced Wednesday morning. President Obama has already been named "Person of the Year" by Time — in 2008. The magazine has recognized women as part of groups for its annual year-end honor, but not just one woman on her own since 1987.

    2011: The Protester

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    2010: Mark Zuckerberg

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    2009: Ben Bernanke

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    2008: Barack Obama

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    2007: Vladimir Putin

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    2006: You

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    It's entirely possible that you're a woman, but "You" still fails to recognize individually inspiring female leadership.

    2005: Bill and Melinda Gates, Bono

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    2004: George W. Bush

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    2003: The American Soldier

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    2002: The Whistleblowers

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    It was great to see three women — Cynthia Cooper of Worldcom, Coleen Rowley of the FBI, Sherron Watkins of Enron — on the '02 cover, but still suggests no woman was strong enough a figure to stand on her own.

    2001: Rudy Giuliani

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    2000: George W. Bush

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    1999: Albert Einstein (Person of the Century)

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    1999: Jeff Bezos (Person of the Year)

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    1998: Kenneth Starr and Bill Clinton

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    This was the last year it was referred to as "Man of the Year."

    1997: Andrew Grove

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    From Intel.

    1996: Dr. David Ho

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    AIDS researcher.

    1995: Newt Gingrich

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    1994: Pope John Paul II

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    1993: The Peacemakers

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    Yitzhak Rabin, Nelson Mandela, F.W. DeKlerk, and Yasser Arafat.

    1992: Bill Clinton

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    1991: Ted Turner

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    1990: The Two George Bushes

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    1989: Mikhail Gorbachev (Man of the Decade)

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    1988: Endangered Earth (Planet of the Year)

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    1987: Mikhail Gorbachev

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    1986: Corazon Aquino

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    She served as president of the Philippines and was the most recent individual woman chosen by TIME for the iconic cover. Despite "Man of the Year" being the official designation at the time, the magazine labeled her "Woman of the Year."