Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg named 'Person of the Year'

NEW YORK -- Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been named Time's "Person of the Year" for 2010, joining the ranks of winners that include heads of state and rock stars as the person the magazine believes most influenced events of the past year.

At 26, Zuckerberg is the youngest "Person of the Year" since the first one chosen, Charles Lindbergh; he was 25 when he was named in 1927, Time said Wednesday. Zuckerberg beat out Britain's Queen Elizabeth II by two weeks: She was 26 when she was named in 1952.

Time's "Person of the Year" is the person or thing that has most influenced the culture and the news during the past year for good or for ill. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke received the honor last year. In naming Zuckerberg, Time cited him "for changing how we all live our lives."

In a posting on his Facebook page, Zuckerberg said being named Time's "Person of the Year" was "a real honor and recognition of how our little team is building something that hundreds of millions of people want to use to make the world more open and connected."

Zuckerberg has put himself on the map not only as one of the world's youngest billionaires, but also as a prominent newcomer to the world of philanthropy.

Earlier this year, he pledged $100 million over five years to the Newark, N.J. school system.

Born in Zuckerberg's Harvard dorm room, Facebook has in six years grown to more than 500 million users worldwide and a dollar worth in the billions.

-- The Associated Press