Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are Time's 2022 Person of the Year

For proving that courage can be as contagious as fear, for stirring people and nations to come together in defense of freedom, for reminding the world of the fragility of democracy and of peace, Volodymyr Zelensky and the spirit of Ukraine are TIME's 2022 Person of the Year. This year's 10 finalists included Tesla TSLA, CEO Elon Musk, who took the title last year, and has remained a news driver with the Twitter takeover this year by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and possible 2024 GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis.

Some of these finalists were recently featured in the inaugural MarketWatch 50 list of investors, CEOs, policy makers, criptoplayers, and influencers who are impacting markets and your money this year.

But Felsenthal wrote that Zelensky was the most clear-cut choice for Person of the Year in recent memory, because he galvanized the world in a way we haven't seen since the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine led by President Vladimir Putin on February 25.

The Time editor notes how Zelensky became a household name and international icon this year for staying in his country during the invasion, and rallying support on social media by giving daily speeches remotely. Some 141 countries in the United Nations condemned the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In response to this, almost 1,000 companies, including McDonald's MCD and Starbucks SBUX, pulled out of Russia. The Ukrainian flag became a familiar site on social media as users and accounts showed their support for Ukraine.

According to the Person of the Year report, Zelensky has also drawn his share of criticism for downplaying the threat of invasion before the Russian bombs first fell. Some critics have called his charm offensive by fashion photo shoots and virtual Grammy Awards appearances and the like somewhat out-of-touch with the human casualties of the war in Ukraine.

Zelensky told Time reporter Simon Shuster that they would be judged later. He says, "I have not finished this great, important action for our country." Except for Musk, DeSantis and Yellen, the other Person of the Year finalists included Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney for her work on the Jan. 6 committee and her vow to do whatever it takes to keep former President Donald Trump out of the Oval Office in the next election.

Amazon AMZN founder Jeff Bezos ex MacKenzie Scott also made the list for her historic philanthropy, donating nearly $2 billion to 343 organizations focused on the support of underserved communities this year alone.

The U.S. Supreme Court was given a nod for its historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and end almost 50 years of constitutional precedent that protected abortion rights for American women, along with swearing in its first black female justice, Ketanji Brown Jackson, to the bench.