Time Magazine's 2011 "person of the year"

"The Protester" draws top honors for the year 2011

The magazine gives recognition each year to the person who most affected the world's atmosphere, its ways of reacting to the crises of the moment, or proved most emblematical of the challenges of the times.

In 2011, according to its editors, Time chose the protesters who flooded streets and public squares from the mideast to western Europe and all across the U.S. as the year's most influential, topping generals, soldiers, politicians, terrorists, business men and financiers.

The past year will go down in history as the one in which the person who was willing to stand up to tyranny made the most changes and affected the most change throughout our world, according to the grand daddy of weekly newsmagazines.