COVER

Why History Can't Wait (Person Of The Year)

Barack Obama is Person of the Year not just for what he's done but also for what he's moving quickly to do next

PERSON OF THE YEAR

The Interview

In a chat with TIME editors, the President-elect looks into the future

B-Ball with Barack

Michelle Obama's brother reveals what basketball tells us about the 44th President

The Long-Lost Negatives

In 1980 a handsome college freshman posed for a fellow student. Last winter the photographer went looking for her negatives. What she found is historic

Runners-Up

From a Vice Presidential nominee to the $700 billion man, their impact was considerable

People Who Mattered 2008

Some of them made us angry. Some of them made us laugh. A couple of them made us shake our heads in disbelief. But all these people made a big impact this year and, most likely, well beyond

Farewell

TIME's tribute to the people who left us this year and whose legacies won't be forgotten

TO OUR READERS

Person of the Year

Barack Obama, our choice for 2008, says his success comes from all of "you." So does this year's issue, drawn from the work of thousands

LIFE

Vertical Farming (Going Green)

In a crowded world, high-tech hanging gardens offer a way to save land, water ... and the climate

Welcome Back, Spam (Food)

Amid rising sales of the canned meat, TIME asks star chefs to concoct tasty Spam recipes

Permanent Birth Control (Women's Health)

Skip the scalpel. Two minutes, two inserts — and your childbearing years are over

LETTERS