**Top Five Men**

**1. Steve Jobs**
**Late CEO of Apple**
His influence on the technological world is undeniable, but besides what he was able to accomplish in his own lifetime, the team he has built at Apple will continue to carry on that legacy and keep the gadgets coming. Perhaps even more influential than the most recently introduced products would be our recognition of him as an innovator after his passing.

**2. The 99 Percent**
**Occupy Wall Street movement**
Although protesters didn’t succeed in occupying all of Wall Street on Sept. 17, the group has started provoking much-needed conversation about corporate greed and its influence in our government. With a direction becoming more clear and more organization rising within this movement, it has spread throughout the cities and college campuses of America where citizens have rallied around the slogan, “We are the 99 percent.”

**3. Warren Buffett**
**Forbes’ third richest person in the world**
Since becoming Forbes’ richest man in the world in 2008, Buffett is still living the anti-billionaire lifestyle by living in the same Omaha home he bought decades ago for next to nothing. Because of his financial conservatism, he has avoided the pitfall many other companies fell deeply into during the recession and now plans to donate much of his wealth to charity.

**4. Admiral Mike Mullen**
After a long pause of what seemed like inactivity in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mullen was able to successfully guide troops through two wars for the president that initiated them eight years ago and now for the one who will conclude them. Setting in motion the withdrawal from Afghanistan and then pushing for increased use of Special Operations forces, Mullen was able to concentrate attention and aided greatly in the capturing of Osama bin Laden.

**5. Mark Zuckerberg**
**Founder of Facebook**
More recently, Facebook has become not only a social network to catch up with old friends but also a forum from which we are consuming other media. Along with this trend, users are adding more information about themselves and linking other applications they use to share with their friends. As Facebook keeps developing from Zuckerberg’s initial idea, it begs the question, “What _can’t_ Facebook do?”

**Top Five Women**

**1. Michelle Obama**
**First Lady**
Because Americans 25 and younger are the first generation expected to live shorter lives than their parents, Obama has taken it upon herself to have serious conversations with the food industries’ leading corporations and establish task forces to start combating the diet-related illnesses in America. Most of her work has started at the root of the problem: in school cafeterias to encourage nutritious meals.

**2. Kate MIddleton**
**Duchess of Cambridge**
Since her marriage to Duke of Cambridge Prince William, she has incorporated many modern facets to her royal fairy tale, while still being involved with charity and other traditions. She is on her way to being the first commoner to become the queen of England and also the first college-educated queen.

**3. Chelsea Handler**
**Comedian**
Besides being arguably the funniest woman on television, Handler is a businesswoman. After co-founding Borderline Amazing Productions, the company has produced “Chelsea Lately,” “After Lately,” “Big Loud Lisa” and “Are You There… Chelsea?” on NBC and is in the process of developing a fifth show. Handler has been and will continue to be the strategic brain behind the company she helped build.

**4. Gabrielle Giffords**
**Congresswoman**
After the Jan. 8 shooting in Tucson, Ariz., the three-term representative has been on the road to recovery that still has a fair amount of work left. When Giffords returned to the House for voting with a smile on her face, her surprise visit seemed to, if only for a second, cut through the hard feelings of partisan arguments.

**5. Lady Gaga (Stefani Germanotta)**
**Entertainer**
In July, Gaga became the most-followed account on Twitter, surpassing Justin Bieber and President Barack Obama with 12 million followers, in addition to her 36 million fans on Facebook. One of her most influential partnerships is one with MAC’s Viva Glam Lipstick and Lipgloss, which has raised more than $202 million combating HIV and AIDS. Gaga has also been an advocate for the “It Gets Better” campaign supporting the LGBTQ community.