Influence comes in many forms, from a 54-year-old media mogul, to a 24-year-old Harvard drop-out. But whether these people have influenced the world for the better or worst, they still deserve to be recognised. Here is a list of five people (in no particular order) whom I think greatly influenced the world in their respective fields.

Oprah Winfrey

Born on 29 January 1954, Oprah Winfrey is probably one of the most popular and influential women of our time. Oprah is an American TV host, media mogul, philanthropist, Academy nominated actress, book critic, and magazine publisher, not to mention one of the richest females in the entertainment industry. But it is not Oprah the actress or Oprah the richest female in entertainment that makes this powerful and fascinating women influential. It is her incredible heart that has garnered her praise, adoration and respect the world over.

Starting from humble beginning in Mississippi, Oprah worked hard to land her own TV show, the internationally syndicated talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show. But having a top earning show was not good enough for Ms Winfrey. In 1998 Oprah founded the Oprah Angel Network, a charity organisation that encourages people to make a difference in the lives of underprivileged people.  The organisation has raised an estimated $51 million since 1998.

Oprah has also made the Business Week’s most generous philanthropist list, having donated more than $303 million to numerous organisations and families. She was the first black person to make the list. Also, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the deadly storm that devastated many areas of the United States, Oprah asked viewers to open their minds and wallets and offer donations to the families affected by the storm. At the end of it, Oprah’s Angel Network Katrina helped raise a total of $11 million, allowing houses to be built in four states, namely Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama. Oprah also donated $10 million of her own money to the cause.

But definitely one of her most noble pursuits was the development of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy For Girls in Johannesburg, South Africa. Oprah, having developed a strong love and passion for South Africa, and inspired by her own humble beginnings, founded the girls’ school to provide educational leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa. The school has been doing very well, despite some initial controversies, and is definitely Ms O’s best and proudest achievement.

Steve Jobs

Making it onto our list for the second time, Steven Paul Jobs is considered a leading figure in the computer, music and entertainment industries and was voted the most powerful businessman in the world in 2007 by Fortune Magazine.

So what has Steve Jobs done, and what makes him so influential? For those who are still in the dark, Jobs is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of Apple Inc and former CEO of Pixar Animation Studios. Along with co-founder Steve Wozniak, Jobs created one of the first commercially successful personal computers, and was among the first to see the commercial potential of the mouse-driven GUI (Graphical User Interface). He also founded NeXT, a computer platform development company specialising in the higher education and business markets.

In 1986, Jobs acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd, which was spun off as Pixar Animation Studios. While at the animations studio, Pixar created half of the top 6 highest grossing animated movies of all time, namely Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Toy Story 2. Each film was released under Pixar’s partnership with Walt Disney, and went on to become the highest grossing animated film for the year it was released.

Steve Jobs has contributed widely to the computer and entertainment industry. In the past years he has continuously been active in driving forward the development of products that are both functional and elegant. More recently he was behind the inventions of the popular iPod and iPhone. He has earned himself a devoted following in the fields of computing, technology and entertainment.

Barack Obama

Just a couple of years ago Barack Obama was a little-known Harvard law student, but today he is probably the most recognised man in the world. Why? Because, just a few days ago, Obama became the President-elect of the most powerful country in the world, which will make him the most powerful and influential person in the world. Obama has also made history as being the first African-American to be elected as the President of the United States.

Obama’s achievements started at a young age. After graduating from Columbia University he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he became president of the Harvard Law Review. Obama graduated from law school and started work as a community organiser and a practising civil rights attorney before serving three terms in the Illinois Senate, from 1997 to 2004. Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1992 to 2004. In January 2003 Obama announced his campaign for the US Senate following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the US House of Representatives in 2000. He won a primary victory in March 2004, and was elected to the Senate in November 2004.

Obama has helped create legislation conventional weapons and promoted public health accountability as a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress. He has also made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He has helped create legislation regarding lobbying and electoral fraud, climate change, nuclear terrorism, and care for returned US military personnel.

In February 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States of America. Obama became President-elect on 04 November 2008. He defeated Republican presidential candidate John McCain in the general election, and will be sworn in as President on 20 January 2009.

Obama is sure to make more of an impact as the years progress, with it being just the start of his presidency. Soon, he will climb up the ranks and take his place next to the likes of George Bush, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan as some of the most influential US Presidents.

George W. Bush

Many people may argue that this US President does not belong on the list, but in my opinion has influenced the lives of many people, whether good or bad.

George Walker Bush is the 43rd and outgoing President of the United States, and is indeed one of the most powerful, influential and well-known figures in the world. Love him or hate him, George Bush made an impact and there is no denying him the title of one of the most influential people in the modern world.

Bush was sworn on 20 January 2001, and his term ends on 20 January 2009. Bush is the eldest son of former US President George H.W. Bush, and, after graduating from Yale University, worked for the family’s oil business. He married Laura Welch in 1978 and unsuccessfully ran for United States House of Representatives shortly thereafter. Bush ran for presidency in 2000 and was elected as the Republican candidate, receiving a majority of the electoral votes, but losing the popular votes.

Then, in September 2001, just eight months after he became President, the September 11 terrorist attacks happened and Bush announced a Global War on Terrorism. He ordered an invasion of Afghanistan that same year, and an invasion of Iraq in 2003. In addition to national security issues, Bush attempted to promote policies on the economy, health care, education, and social security reform. He had also enacted large tax cuts, the No Child Left Behind Act, medicare prescription drug benefits for seniors, and his tenure has seen a national debate on immigration.

On 20 January 2009, Bush will step down as President of the United States. Many people are grateful for the end of Bush’s reign; many others believe that Obama has huge shoes to fill. There is no doubt that Bush and his actions will linger on for years to come, making him one of the most influential people in the world.

Mark Zuckerberg

Who would have thought that this average looking 24-year-old Harvard student would create the world’s largest and most popular social networking site on the Internet today — Facebook? Facebook, a social media site with over 64 million active members, was the brainchild of this computer whiz, making him one of the youngest billionaires in the world. While many people scoff at the idea of socialising and connecting online, millions of others are avid members of this internet phenomenon taking the world by storm.

Mark Zuckerberg was born in May 1984, and developed Facebook along with fellow Harvard computer major and roommates Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes. He is the Facebook CEO and Forbes magazinedeclared him the ‘youngest self-made billionaire ever’.

So how does creating a website make you influential? It’s not the fact that Facebook is a website, it is more to do with the fact that it has brought together and connected millions of people from around the world. Sure, he made not have found a cure for cancer or invented a revolutionary device to change the world, but being the brainchild of the fastest growing social media tool is pretty influential to say the least.