24 People of 2011

1. Mohamed Bouazizi- his act of lighting himself on fire in protest to his street vending products being confiscated by police was the catalyst that led to the “Arab Spring” revolutions for democracy throughout the Arab world.

2. Navy SEALs- invaded a safehouse in which Osama Bin Laden had been hiding and killed the Al-Qaeda figure under orders from President Obama.

3. Occupy Wall Street Protestors/ The 99%- for their protests against economic and social inequality as well as corporate corruption and influence on government.

4. Steve Jobs- The Apple visionary died in 2011. Changed modern technology in ways only a hand-full have.

5. Muammar Gadaffi- was killed on Oct 20, 2011 by NTC forces in Libya, thus ending 41-year rule.

6. Fukushima/Japan- everyone that was affected/involved in the earthquake and subsequent nuclear reactor crisis.

7. Hosni Mubarak- ousted after a 30 year stint as president of Egypt by demonstrators in the 2011 Egypt Revolution.

8. Dilma Rousseff- the first woman president of Brazil after. In 1964, she joined the Marxist guerillas in the coup d’état. She was imprisoned for 2 years and tortured. By many accounts, one of the most powerful woman in history.

9. Citizens of South Sudan- for their Indpepenence from Sudan on July 9, 2011 after a referendum.

10. Gabrielle Giffords- the Arizona congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in which she was shot in the head at pointblank. 18 other people were also shot, 6 of which died.

11. Rupert Murdoch- the Chairman and CEO of News Corp. faced criticisms and investigations into his company’s hacking of phones etc…

12. Laurent Gbagbo- the former president of Côte d'Ivoire was arrested after refusing to leave his charge after losing the presidential election. In November 2011, he was extraditied to the ICC to face trial, making him the first head of state to be in ICC’s custody.

13. Silvio Berlusconi- the billionaire and former Italian primer minister resigned his post after losing a majority in the government. He was plagued by sex scandals and the European debt crisis.

14. Herman Cain, Mitt Romney, Michele Bachman, Newt Gingrich, & Rick Perry- the main challengers form the Republican party to face President Obama in the 2012 election. Cain has suspended his campaign, leaving Romney and Gingrich as the frontrunners.

15. Adele- the British singer’s album 21 was released in early 2011 gaining airplay with the lead single “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You.” 21 spent 13 weeks at number 1 of the Billboard Top-200 chart. She won 11 Billboard Music Awards, and she is nominated for 6 Grammys including Song, Record, and Album of the year.

16. Kate Middleton- became the Duchess of Cambridge after marrying Prince William. In 2011 she cemented her spot as an international style icon.

17. Anonymous- the hacking group is positioned to become the next Wikileaks. After targeting governments and corporations around the world, they have gained international recognition. They are also supportive of political activities such as Occupy Wall Street.

18. Chile Student Protestors- demanded greater access to education and an end to the for-profit university system. Only 45% of high school students study in a public school. There is also a call for new universities since none have been built since the Pinochet era. The protests have led to a decline in President’s Piñera’s approval.

19. Jon Stewart- the comedian continued as America’s most trusted newscaster. He has become a figure in the political discourse in the U.S.

20. Calle 13- the social-theme charged alternative hip-hop group from Puerto Rico enjoyed the success of their critically acclaimed album “Entren Los Que Quieran” with little to no airplay in the radio. It received 9 of 9 Latin Grammys and is nominated for 1 Grammy Award. They have become a voice for the underprivileged in Latin America such as the Student Protests throughout the region.

21. Lionel Messi- In January, he won the 2010 Ballon D’Or for top player in the world. He led Barcelona to its fourth UEFA Champions League title versus Manchester United and also their 21st Spanish La Liga title.

22. Albert Pujols- He led the St. Louis Cardinals to their 11th World Series. He became the most sought after free-agent in MLB history eventually signing a 10 year, $254 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, making it the second largest contract in MLB history.

23. Enrique Peña Nieto- the PRI’s candidate to the Mexican presidency. A year before the elections, he is already seen by many as the winner of the election. He came under criticism after not being able to name 3 books that shaped him. He managed to name books, but was attributing them to wrong authors.

24. Charlie Sheen- Faced a tough year after facing drug and alcohol problems. He was later fired from his show “Two and a Half Men.” He became a social-media phenomenon thereafter.

Tweet