From Hitler to ‘You’: Time Magazine’s 10 most controversial People of the Year

The Person of the Year doesn't have to be well-liked.

Every year, Time magazine picks the person — or sometimes the people or the thing — that shaped the world the most, and names them its Person of the Year. But the award isn't just about positive social impact: evildoers, scandalous figures and ideas at the center or raging debates have all been granted the year's top honor.

Here are the top 10 most controversial people and things named Person of the Year.

WALLIS SIMPSON

Simpson, an American socialite, claimed the title in 1936 when the honor was still called Man of the Year.

That year, her relationship with the UK's King Edward VIII led him to give up his crown: he wanted to marry Wallis, but the public considered a twice divorcée unfit for British royalty. Ultimately, the king gave up his power to be with Wallis. She remains a highly debated figure in British history and culture.

ADOLF HITLER & JOSEPH STALIN

Time has a thing for dictators. Hitler was named Man of the Year in 1938, on the eve of World War II. Stalin claimed the title twice: 1939 and 1942.

Hitler was the dictator of Nazi Germany when he won. In November 1938, Nazi's destroyed Jewish-owned buildings on Kristallnacht and sent at least 30,000 Jewish Germans to concentration camps, foreshadowing the horrors of the Holocaust to come.

Stalin dictated the Soviet Union on the opposite side of the war. Under his rule, Soviet soldiers executed Polish prisoners of war, reportedly raped women in occupied towns and set up their own concentration camps.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

King claimed the title in 1963, the year of his "I Have a Dream" speech. Naming the civil rights leader the most influential person of the year was a bold move in a time when racial tensions ruled America. The year saw the March on Washington, the integration of the University of Alabama and a flood of debate about civil rights in America.

King is also just one of three black men to be named Person of the Year. Haile Selassie I, the emperor of Ethiopia, won in 1935, and President Obama has claimed the title twice, for his 2008 and 2012 elections.

AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI

The Iranian leader won in 1979, the same year he oversaw the Iranian Revolution and then made himself the country's supreme leader. Khomeini introduced Sharia law to Iran, required women to veil themselves, banned alcohol and Western films, and imposed harsh punishments for those who did not abide by the religious rules.

THE COMPUTER

In 1982, Time made the Man of the Year a machine. It named the computer the most influential thing of the year. The IMB PC was released a year earlier and Apple's Lisa was queuing up for a 1983 release.

While technology shaped the year — and every year after it — naming a machine the year's "Man" was a bizarre, harsh choice.

THE ENDANGERED EARTH

The climate change political debate was just budding in 1988, the year Time named the Earth the Planet of the Year. That year, the UN established Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to start studying human-induced climate change.

Since then, the environment has been at the center of debates between politicians and across dinner tables. From the Kyoto Protocol to "An Inconvenient Truth" to the American Clean Energy and Security Act, the climate debate is still a hot-button issue.

BILL CLINTON

While Clinton grabbed the title in 1992 for his first election, it's his second win that's controversial. In 1998 he was featured alongside Ken Starr, the lawyer who investigated the President, opening the door for his impeachment.

Clinton was formally impeached a year later for his handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Years later, public opinion is still divided on the much-loved and also much-hated former President.

YOU

In 2006, everyone was the Person of the Year. Time gave the honor to "You," alluding to the millions of Internet users who contributed user-generated content to the Web.

Critics called the pick a gimmicky cop-out. After all, 2006 had its fair share of newsmakers: Venezuela President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad were top picks in reader polls.

VLADIMIR PUTIN

Time made Putin its top person in 2007, the end of his first stint as the Russian president.

Putin and his policies have long been criticized internationally, and the debate rages on years later. In 2014, The Advocate named Putin its person of the year: a satirical jab at his anti-gay stance.

BARACK OBAMA

American Presidents are frequently given the title the years they are elected. With voters and campaigners at odds during elections, the picks are always the source of debate — and Obama is no exception.