Mel JudsonList RulesVote up the individuals who have most effectively made impacts over the course of the year..
UPDATED: Check out the most influential people of 2021!
From politicians to musicians, activists, actors, billionaires, and even the occasional retiree, anybody can become one of the most influential people of the year, especially in a year like 2020. As a pandemic upended virtually every aspect of life and culture across the globe, unexpected celebrities were able to use their platforms to make a difference while familiar figures found their voices amplified.
Who was the most important person this year? That's an unexpectedly complicated question for an unexpectedly complicated year. Political leaders and titans of industry are obvious answers, but 2020 also found unexpected people exerting influence and changing the culture. Any year in which Joe Exotic becomes one of the most famous people alive while civil unrest shakes a democracy is on for books, and complicates annual inventories like Time's list of 100 influential people.
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768458Tom Hanks
1956-07-09Birthplace: Concord, California, United States of America
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both... more2
374417Stacey Abrams
1973-12-09Birthplace: Madison, Wisconsin
Stacey Y. Abrams is the House Minority Leader for the Georgia General Assembly and State... more3
497562Anthony Fauci
1940-12-24Birthplace: New York City, New York
Anthony Stephen "Tony" Fauci ( ) (born December 24, 1940) is an American immunologist who has... more4
384434Joe Biden
1942-11-20Birthplace: Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (/ˈbaɪdən/ BY-dən; born November 20, 1942) is an American... more5
374430Kamala Harris
1964-10-20Birthplace: California, Contiguous United States, Oakland, United States of America, United States
Kamala Devi Harris (born October 20, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the... more6
351435Barack Obama
1961-08-04Birthplace: Area code 808, Honolulu County, Hawaiian Islands, United States of America, United States
Barack Hussein Obama born August 4, 1961is an American attorney and politician who served as... more7
322412Michelle Obama
1964-01-17Birthplace: Chicago metropolitan area, Illinois, Chicago, United States of America, United States
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (née Robinson; born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer,... more8
375498Donald Trump
1946-06-14Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 45th... more9
301415Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989) is an American activist, community organizer,... more10
231340Bill Gates
1955-10-28Birthplace: Seattle, Washington, United States of America
William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate, investor,... more11
260388Nancy Pelosi
1940-03-26Birthplace: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Nancy Patricia Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is an American politician and a member of the... more12
254387Dwayne Johnson
1972-05-02Birthplace: Hayward, California, United States of America
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an... more13
177280J. K. Rowling
1965-07-31Birthplace: Yate, United Kingdom
Joanne Rowling ( "rolling"; born 31 July 1965), better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling,... more14
230362Lin-Manuel Miranda
1980-01-16Birthplace: Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States of America
Lin-Manuel Miranda (born January 16, 1980) is an American composer, lyricist, rapper, singer,... more15
218355Michael Jordan
1963-02-17Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American... more16
172287Boris Johnson
1964-06-19Birthplace: New York City, New York, United States of America
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, serving as... more17
150254Rihanna
1988-02-20Birthplace: Saint Michael Parish, Barbados
Robyn Rihanna Fenty (born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, songwriter, record... more18
138235Dwyane Wade
1982-01-17Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. ( dwayn; born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional... more19
151257Beyoncé Knowles
1981-09-04Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter and... more20
181308Taylor Swift
1989-12-13Birthplace: Reading, Pennsylvania, United States of America
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. She is known... more21
207351Mitch McConnell
1942-02-20Birthplace: Sheffield, Alabama, United States of America
Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician serving as... more22
137240Ellen DeGeneres
1958-01-26Birthplace: Metairie, Louisiana, United States of America
Ellen Lee DeGeneres ( də-JEN-ər-əs; born January 26, 1958) is an American comedian, television... more23
200345Megan Rapinoe
1985-07-05Birthplace: Redding, California
Megan Anna Rapinoe ( (listen); born July 5, 1985) is an American professional soccer player... more24
144252Megan Jovon Ruth Pete (born February 15, 1995), known professionally as Megan Thee Stallion... more25
244421Elon Musk
1971-06-28Birthplace: Pretoria, South Africa
Elon Reeve Musk (; born June 28, 1971) is a technology entrepreneur, investor, and engineer.... more
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