President Barack Obama has been named by Time Magazine as the 2012 Person of the Year.  “We are in the midst of historic cultural and demographic changes, and Barack Obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new America,” explained the magazine.

“In 2012, he found and forged a new majority, turned weakness into opportunity and sought, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union.”

The magazine added, “He will take the oath on Jan. 20 as the first Democrat in more than 75 years to get a majority of the popular vote twice. Only five other Presidents have done that in all of U.S. history.”

The short list of runners-up for the Time distinction included a Pakistani teenager, the new leader of Egypt, a physicist, a CEO and a former president: The late Malala Yousafzai (a teen Pakistani advocate for education for girls who was shot by the Taliban), Bill and Hillary Clinton, Mohamed Morsi (Egypt’s new president), Fabiola Gianotti (renowned physicist), and Tim Cook (Apple CEO).

Obama won the same honors in 2008. Last year, “the protestor” won the distinction amid the Occupy Wall Street movement and other actions around the world. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg got the honors in 2010.