Answer: Charles Lindbergh

The tradition of featuring a “Man of the Year” (changed to “Person of the Year” in 1999) began at Time magazine back in 1928 (the idea coming into being in 1927). While the surface story behind the feature was simply that it was a great way to sell magazines highlighting an accomplished and high profile person at the end of each year, behind the scenes the decision was primarily driven by a desire to save face after editorial embarrassment.

The embarrassment in question was that of failing to feature famed aviator Charles Lindbergh on the cover after his historic nonstop trans-Atlantic flight from New York City to Paris. By putting him on the cover and making him their first Man of the Year, they not only featured him, but did so in a way that made it appear as if they had never dropped the ball, but planned on honoring him as Man of the Year all along.