The Greatest Person of the 20th Century

What makes a person great/important/significant?

Significance is related to fame but measures something different. Historically significant figures leave statistical evidence of their presence behind. (Time Magazine)

A number of organizations have compiled lists of their “most important”, “most significant” or “most influential” people of the 20th Century. But what determines importance, significance, or influence?

Time 100 Each year since 1927, TIME Magazine has selected an official Person of the Year, recognizing an individual who “has done the most to influence the events of the year.”  Time 100 is a complication of the 20th Century’s 100 most influential people, first published in 1999. Time Magazine now creates an annual list of the 100 people most influencing the world, classified in the following cateogories: Leaders & Revolutionaries Builders & Titans Artists & Entertainers Scientists & Thinkers Heroes & Icons

Time’s Person of the Century Albert Einstein was chosen as the Person of the Century, on the grounds that he was the preeminent scientist in a century dominated by science. The editors of Time believed the 20th century "will be remembered foremost for its science and technology", and Einstein "serves as a symbol of all the scientists—such as Fermi, Heisenberg, Bohr, Richard Feynman, ...who built upon his work".

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