In the past, TIME Magazine's choices for Person of the Year have often been controversial and, in some cases, have sparked widespread public outcry.
Many criticized the fact Donald Trump was picked as TIME's Person of the Year in 2016, for example, after running an extraordinarily divisive presidential campaign and ultimately winning the US election. But those who did so seemed to misunderstand how TIME comes to a decision and perhaps weren't aware of some of the more dubious people who received the title in the past.
TIME bases its choices on the person or thing that had the "the greatest impact on the news, for good or ill."
Sometimes the most newsworthy person or thing might also be widely despised, so popularity is not necessarily a prerequisite in terms of TIME's ultimate choice.
Here are some of the most incendiary picks TIME has made since it first started naming a "Person of the Year" in 1927.