Today, TIME Magazine announced its annual lineup of the most influential people from around the world. The lists includes many politicians, athletes, CEOs, musicians, actors, actresses, and many more extraordinary people. Many of the chosen are well-known to society, but many less-famous others have also made the list because they have created an equally powerful impact.
Introducing the 2017 #TIME100 https://t.co/v69b2I0uGA pic.twitter.com/uVJK7j9c6W
— TIME (@TIME) April 20, 2017
The list of the 100 Most Influential People is created every year to recognize the ambitious pioneers who tackled seemingly impossible problems and brought about a positive change. The daring people who made the list are all uniquely important and have gifted the world with their time and talents in specific ways.
Throughout the past couple years, our world has been divided in political, social, and physical ways, making us want to conform to majorities; to seek comfort in similarity. But these people have had the courage to put these divides aside, go against the “norms”, and bring people together. These celebrities and leaders see a challenge as an opportunity, not as a barrier.
The story behind TIME 100 Most Influential People's covers https://t.co/1L1xVGxgzr pic.twitter.com/OE4Jp5wQSk
— TIME (@TIME) April 20, 2017
When making the list, TIME Magazine seeks help from TIME 100 Alumni and looks to them to nominate an influencer. Nominations are also taken by TIME bureaus and writers from all around the world. Selecting the people that have made the biggest impacts on the world is no easy task. Click here to watch a video on the selection process.
By reading this list you will find that this list of people is full of trailblazers, rule-redefiners, and social-media influencers. The list has no specific ranking and the order the chosen are in is not based on any factor other than randomization.
What in the..? Thanks #Time100 — and Helen Mirren for the kindest words. My real name is Summershank Melon-Wad. https://t.co/Dv9YnxKMYO
— Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 20, 2017
The list holds complete opposites like U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un. It contains people like Gavin Grimm, the youngest on the list at 17 years old, who fought for transgender rights in Supreme Court after talking about his personal bathroom rights, and also people like Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the oldest on the list at 87 years old, who created the iCivics program that reaches 50% of middle school social-studies classrooms in the U.S.
Beyond honored to be one off the #Time100 most influential people. Even more crazy that my hero @common wrote my story!
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) April 20, 2017
Of course there is a lot of nominees from entertainment industry like Alicia Keys, Chance The Rapper, Ed Sheeran, Demi Lovato, John Legend, and even carpool karaoke host, James Corden. There are also many athletes who made the list like Neymar, LeBron James, and world-renowned, U.S. gymnast, Simone Biles. Even supermodel and body activist, Ashley Graham, made the list!
Genuinely blown away to be in @TIME 100 list with all these people.And thank you @eltonofficial for your kind words. https://t.co/ipvjngKNhI
— James Corden (@JKCorden) April 20, 2017
Incredibly honored to be included in #Time100’s Most Influential People. Thank you @AriannaHuff for your kind words. https://t.co/Ohyp5EnDgw pic.twitter.com/3GkO7XD3f6
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) April 20, 2017
Don’t believe us? Just check out the list below! And make sure to click on the links to read about each person’s personal achievements and the kind words their nominator has to say about them.
(list and links adapted from time.com)
Pioneers
Barbara Lynch by Padma Lakshmi
Bob Ferguson by George Takei
Celina Turchi by Tom Frieden
Chance The Rapper by Common
Conor McGregor by Arnold Schwarzenegger
Constance Wu by Lena Dunham
Demis Hassabis by Ray Kurzweil
Gavin Grimm by Janet Mock
Glenda Gray by Alice Park
Guus Velders by Leonardo DiCaprio
Hamdi Ulukaya by Kenneth Roth
Ivanka Trump by Wendi Murdoch
Jared Kushner by Henry Kissinger
Jordan Peele by Barry Jenkins
Kirsten Green by Emily Weiss
Natalie Batalha, Guillem Anglada-Escudé and Michaël Gillon by Alan Stern
Riz Ahmed by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Samantha Bee by Jane Curtin
Tamika Mallory, Bob Bland, Carmen Perez and Linda Sarsour by Kirsten Gillibrand
Yuriko Koike by Anne Hidalgo
Artists
Alessandro Michele by Jared Leto
Alicia Keys by Kerry Washington
Ava DuVernay by Venus Williams
Barry Jenkins by Kathryn Bigelow
Ben Platt by Zac Efron
Colson Whitehead by Oprah Winfrey
Demi Lovato by Arianna Huffington
Donald Glover by Tina Fey
Ed Sheeran by Taylor Swift
Emma Stone by Brie Larson
James Corden by Elton John
John Legend by Harry Belafonte
Kerry James Marshall by Grant Hill
Leslie Jones by Russell Crowe
Margot Robbie by Martin Scorsese
Ryan Reynolds by Helen Mirren
Sarah Paulson by Cate Blanchett
Titans
Bernard J. Tyson by John Lewis
Daniel Ek by Ed Sheeran
Evan Spiegel by DJ Khaled
George Church by Stephen Colbert
James Allison by Siobhan O’Connor
Janet Yellen by Joseph Stiglitz
Jason Blum by Harvey Weinstein
Jean Liu by Tim Cook
Jeff Bezos by Buzz Aldrin
LeBron James by Rita Dove
Margrethe Vestager by Helle Thorning-Schmidt
Rebekah Mercer by Ted Cruz
Tom Brady by Conan O’Brien
Vijay Shekhar Sharma by Nandan Nilekani
Leaders
Chuck Schumer by Harry Reid
Donald Trump by Paul Ryan
Elizabeth Warren by Kamala Harris
General James Mattis by Robert Gates
James Comey by John McCain
Juan Manuel Santos by Ingrid Betancourt
Julian Assange by Jack Goldsmith
Kim Jong Un by Christopher Hill
King Maha Vajiralongkorn by Charlie Campbell
Melinda Gates by Sheryl Sandberg
Narendra Modi by Pankaj Mishra
Pope Francis by Cardinal Blase J. Cupich
Major General Qasem Soleimani by Kenneth M. Pollack
Recep Tayyip Erdogan by Can Dundar
Reince Priebus by Rahm Emanuel
Rodrigo Duterte by Cesar Gaviria
Sandra Day O’Connor by Sonia Sotomayor
Stephen Bannon by Michael Duffy
Theo Epstein by John Cusack
Theresa May by Bill English
Tom Perez by Tim Kaine
Vladimir Putin by Mikhail Gorbachev
Wang Qishan by Zoher Abdoolcarim
Xi Jinping by John Kerry
Icons
Ashley Graham by Tyra Banks
Biram Dah Abeid by Aidan McQuade
Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista by Susanna Schrobsdorff
Cindy Sherman by Miranda July
Colin Kaepernick by Jim Harbaugh
David Adjaye by Thelma Golden
Fan Bingbing by Diane von Furstenberg
Fatou Bensouda by Aryn Baker
Gretchen Carlson by Katie Couric
Jeanette Vizguerra by America Ferrera
John Lewis by Cory Booker
Leila De Lima by Samantha Power
Margaret Atwood by Ann Patchett
Neymar by David Beckham
Raed Saleh by Mustafa Abu Faisal
Raf Simons by A$AP Rocky
RuPaul by Naomi Campbell
Simone Biles by Leslie Jones
Thelma Aldana by José Ugaz
Viola Davis by Meryl Streep