On March 3, 1923, exactly a century ago, Time magazine began appearing on newsstands across the United States with the idea of becoming a weekly publication delivering news with depth, significance, and importance. What is now known as “a long read,” so to speak. Four years after its launch, the magazine‘s editors had a brilliant idea: to award a Person of the Year, for better or for worse. For instance, in 1927, it went to Charles Lindbergh, who had just completed his transatlantic flight. Fifteen years later, the situation was very different, but it also involved soaring achievements.
A man of the year can fly
All American presidents (except Gerald Ford) had their moment in Time magazine as Men of the Year, as did communist leaders, Popes, and even astronauts. In fact, Adolf Hitler even received the “Man of the Year” award in 1938. As we mentioned, the cover is given for better or for worse, and indeed, under Hitler’s photo playing the organ, the caption read “From the unholy organist, a song of hate.” As Indiana Jones would say, “Too many Nazis.”
The good news is that even we won the award in 2006, where the Person of the Year was “You,” referring to the Internet content creators. In fact, over the years, there has been a gradual shift towards awarding ideas rather than individuals: the spirit of Ukraine, the computer, Ebola fighters, American women, and so on. However, it has never been awarded to a fictional character… at least, not until 1941 when Dumbo, the Disney elephant, was about to grace the cover as the “Mammal of the Year.”
The Disney film meant everything or nothing for the studio. To put it in gamer terms, it was a final fantasy after the failures of ‘Pinocchio’ and ‘Fantasia’. Even in the midst of World War II, the movie was a success and provided a much-needed boost before they closed (as we now know, they never did and grew to become everything). How could it not be immortalized?
In fact, Disney even created the cover for the issue, featuring a black and white Dumbo looking downtrodden and without a smile, reflecting the somber times. But on December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and the United States was thrust directly into the midst of World War II. For whatever reason, Dumbo no longer seemed as significant. The cover was changed to feature General MacArthur, and the Person of the Year became President Roosevelt.
However, inside the magazine, readers could still find pages dedicated to Dumbo, as if they had bestowed the honor on him due to lack of time to change it. It would have been quite a mess, and for whatever reason, it would have been considered in poor taste. Over the years, Time changed its way of thinking. “Man of the Year” became “Person of the Year,” and several covers were dedicated to showcasing the “Women of the Year” who had been overlooked since 1927. No fictional character has ever come close to winning the award. But you might believe that an elephant could indeed be the Mammal of the Year.
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