NATIONAL NEWS
January 6, 2010
The Persons of the Year Are…
TFK readers name the U.S. Armed Forces and Taylor Swift as the top newsmakers of 2009
In December, we asked TFK readers to choose the most important newsmaker of 2009. More than 2,200 votes were cast, and the results are in. Who is TFK’s Person of the Year? It’s a tie! Both the U.S. Armed Forces and country music star Taylor Swift took first place in the annual timeforkids.com poll. President Barack Obama, who won the title in 2008, finished third.
 |  MASSOUD HOSSAINI—AFP/GETTY IMAGES Soldiers pose for a photo at a U.S. base in Bagram, Afghanistan. |
About 1.4 million brave men and women serve in the U.S. military. Many risk their lives each day in war-torn countries like Iraq and Afghanistan to help keep the U.S. safe. Last month, President Obama announced that he would send another 30,000 soldiers to Afghanistan to fight the Taliban.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Taylor Swift enjoyed a record year. In 2009, the country star topped the music charts, performed sold-out shows across the U.S. and won several awards along the way. Now Swift is up for eight Grammy nominations. Looks like 2010 could be a big year for the singer too.
 GREGG DEGUIRE—PICTUREGROUP/AP Country music star Taylor Swift performs in Los Angeles, California, on December 5, 2009. | |
TFK’s Person of the Year announcement follows an 81-year-old tradition started by TIME magazine. At the end of each year, TIME editors recognize the person, group or (sometimes) idea that has influenced events and had the greatest impact on the world for the preceding 12 months. TIME chose Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke as its 2009 Person of the Year for his leadership during the current economic crisis.
Who might become the Person of the Year in 2010? Teaching kids about the people who are changing our world is something TFK aims to do every week. Together, we will watch world events unfold during the year ahead.
