The opening shot of Time's 2009 100 most influential people was veteran Democrat Edward Kennedy who was described as the most bipartisan politician in congress, and whose story was told by California Republican governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom the governor called 'Uncle.' Schwarzenegger writes;
"How do I describe Uncle Teddy? Everyone knows him as the Lion of the Senate, a liberal icon, a warrior for the less fortunate, a fierce advocate for health-care reform, a champion of social justice here and abroad and now even a Knight of the British Empire. But I know him as the rock of his family: a loving husband, father, brother and uncle. He's a man of great faith and character."
Time's 100 has an array of lists: leaders and revolutionaries; builders and titans; artists and entertainers; heroes and icons; and scientists and thinkers. The list includes Hilary Clinton, Norah al Faiz, Paul Kagame, Angela Markel, David McKeirnan, Asfaq Kayani, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, The Twitter guys, Ted Turner, Nouriel Rouboum, Oprah Winfrey, the drug addled Rush Limbaugh, Joaquim Guzman and Maya Arulpragasam (M.I.A.) among others.
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Schwarzenegger
Spike Jonze on M.I.A.
Michael Elliot on
Angela Merkel
T Boone Pickens on
Ted Turner
Madeleine K. Albright on
Hillary Clinton
Aston Kutcher on
The Twitter Guys
J.K. Rowling on
Gordon Brown
Tim Padget on
Joaquim Guzman
Rick Warren on Paul Kagame
Gordon Brown on
Barrack ObamaPhotos cortesy of
Time Magazine
Muhammad Ali sightseeing downtown Kinshasha, Zaire on September 17, 1974 greets fans before fighting opponent George Foreman, twice his size in Kinshasha on October 30, 1974. Ali gave Foreman a stunning defeat in "Rumble in the Jungle." (Associated Press Photo)
Nelson Mandela, center, sings with supporters and fellow accused during his first treason trial in Johannesburg. Mandela and the other 150 people accused were acquitted after a four and a half year trial. Photo taken in 1956 by Peter Megubane/Associated Press.
1961: Nelson Mandela and his then wife, Winnie, show off their firstborn daughter, Zindzi, at their home in Soweto. Mandela fled into exile overseas as the political situation in South Africa worsened, returning only to be arrested and sentenced to life improsonment in what became known as the Rivonia Trial. Alf Khumalo/Associated Press.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. presents his "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. (AP Photo)
The release of "Yellow Fever" was composed, arranged and produced at the Chief Priest, Fela Anikulapo Kuti's communal compound called Kalakuta Republik, located on Agege Motor Road. Who steal my bleaching...I buy am for shopping...your mustache go show...your nyash go black...I go die o...
The Showdown: Undisputed World Welterweight Champion Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas "Hitman/Motor City Cobra" Hearns battle it out in 1981 during the golden era of boxing when the sport was for pride and passion not for profit and commercial success. I had a bet with my brother, then, but Sugar Ray came from behind and knocked out Hearns in the 14th Round on a TKO.
