In a not-terribly-surprising selection, Time Magazine has chosen Barack Obama as its 2008 Person of the Year. Other candidates included political figures such as Sarah Palin and British prime minister Gordon Brown, but Obama won out for his historic campaign and his election to power in a time of crisis.

As Time's article on the selection points out, Obama first became known because of his stirring speeches and charisma on the campaign trail, and it might seem that he was chosen for the honor because of this flashiness. "But crisis has a way of ushering even great events into the past," the magazine writes, and it notes his "unprecedented speed to build an Administration that would bolster the confidence of a shaken world, his flash and dazzle have faded into the background."

Presidents and other world leaders often are chosen as Time's Person of the Year (it used to be called Man of the Year); previous selections include Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, and of course world figures who are influential in their negative impact on the world (Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin).

See the full Time Magazine article linked above for an explanation of why Obama was chosen, who the other candidates were, photos of Obama, and a look at the other influential people of the past year.

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