COVER
Person of the Year 2009: Ben Bernanke
The story of the year was a weak economy that could have been much, much weaker. Thank the man who runs the Federal Reserve, our mild-mannered economic overlord
Bernanke Up Close (Photos)
Snapshots of the 56-year-old Chairman of the Fed
Inside the Fed (Photos)
A glimpse into the rarified rooms in Washington where the Fed Chairman oversees the U.S. financial system
To Our Readers: The Good Banker
Why we chose Ben Bernanke
PERSON OF THE YEAR
People Who Mattered (Cover)
TIME picks 25 people who influenced 2009 for better or worse
Fond Farewells (Cover)
Paying homage to the achievers who left us
ESSAY
And the Decade Goes To ...
Anyone can pick a Person of the Year. It takes a great historian to define the decade
LETTERS
The Aughts: It's Enough! (Inbox)
Bad Behavior; Risky Business
RUNNERS-UP
General Stanley McChrystal
Soft-spoken but passionately intense, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan shifted the military's battlefield strategy and successfully lobbied for a surge in troops. Now it's up to him to salvage a faltering war
The Chinese Worker
By the millions, they leave their families to work in faraway factories and stoke the world's fastest-growing economy
Nancy Pelosi
No longer underestimated, the highest-ranking woman in U.S. history wields the power of her office more effectively than any other House Speaker in modern times. It's not a wise move to get on her bad side
Usain Bolt
The world's fastest man tests the limits of human performance and carries a nation in his wake
GLOBAL ADVISER
Five Reasons to Visit Okinawa (Diversions)
It's Japan, only a lot more chilled out
Young Turk (Check In)
An Istanbul landmark gets a slick revamp
Spa Food, But Not As We Know It (Amuse-Bouche)
Treat yourself to an extravagant and irresistible afternoon tea at the Dorchester Hotel's spa in London
A Rum Time (Grapevine)
Artisan producers from Antigua to Venezuela are persuading sophisticated drinkers to sip their rum neat