Among the contenders for this year's Time person of the year are the Ferguson protesters who took to the streets in Missouri after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer in August.
Ferguson protesters —
Among the contenders for this year's Time person of the year are the Ferguson protesters who took to the streets in Missouri after an unarmed black teenager was shot dead by a white police officer in August.
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The other collective in the group of finalists is the Ebola caregivers for "fighting the biggest Ebola outbreak in history."
Ebola caregivers —
The other collective in the group of finalists is the Ebola caregivers for "fighting the biggest Ebola outbreak in history."
KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images
Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani is probably the least recognizable name among the finalists. Read his <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Famanpour.blogs.cnn.com%2F2014%2F06%2F23%2Fexclusive-iraqi-kurdish-leader-says-the-time-is-here-for-self-determination%2F">interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour here</a>.
Masoud Barzani —
Iraqi Kurdistan leader Masoud Barzani is probably the least recognizable name among the finalists. Read his interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour here.
A previous Time person of the year (2007), Russian President Vladimir Putin was rarely out of the headlines in 2014.
Vladimir Putin —
A previous Time person of the year (2007), Russian President Vladimir Putin was rarely out of the headlines in 2014.
Alexey Nikolsky/AFP/Getty Images
China's richest man, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. The company pulled off the biggest IPO in history in September.
Jack Ma —
China's richest man, Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba. The company pulled off the biggest IPO in history in September.
Peter Parks/AFP/Getty/File
From one tech giant to another. Apple boss Tim Cook is on the list of finalists because of a series of new Apple product launches and his decision to come out publicly.
Tim Cook —
From one tech giant to another. Apple boss Tim Cook is on the list of finalists because of a series of new Apple product launches and his decision to come out publicly.
Justin Sullivan/getty
Taylor Swift rattled the music industry by pulling her songs from streaming service Spotify.
Taylor Swift —
Taylor Swift rattled the music industry by pulling her songs from streaming service Spotify.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is selected after a year in which the NFL dealt with one storm of controversy after another.
Roger Goodell —
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is selected after a year in which the NFL dealt with one storm of controversy after another.
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images