Person of the Year 2009

The story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much, much weaker. How the mild-mannered man who runs the Federal Reserve prevented an economic catastrophe

  • Story
  • All Best and Worst Lists

Why TIME Chose Ben Bernanke

TIME managing editor Rick Stengel explains why the magazine chose Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as 2009's Person of the Year

See pictures of Ben Bernanke's life from childhood to chairmanship.