President-elect Donald Trump. Picture: Jim Watson/AFP Photo

Now, after a whirlwind 12 months of non-stop surprises, the world is preparing for January’s inauguration and for those three words will become the official title of the world’s most powerful person.

The joke candidate turned president-elect wasn’t the only headline machine of 2016.

Elections, disasters, conflict, mysteries and success stories kept news sites ticking over, but it’s always the people behind the headlines that really make the story.

These are 2016’s biggest newsmakers.

PAULINE HANSON

Almost 20 years on from her political debut, Pauline Hanson made a comeback this year and it was bigger than anyone predicted.

The July election provided the recognisable redhead with not only a convincing Senate win that saw her installed as a Queensland senator, but also got three of her party members into parliament.

Campaigning principally on tough immigration issues, an inquiry into Islam and a better deal for farmers, Ms Hanson’s election to parliament was dubbed Australia’s version of the “Trump Effect”.

With the trend towards alternative leaders and anti-establishment ideals continuing, the One Nation leader is planning on making an even bigger splash next year when she runs candidates in state elections around the nation.

2016 was One Nation leader Pauline Hanson’s big comeback. Picture: Dan Peled/AAPSource:Supplied

SONIA KRUGER

Today Extra host Sonia Kruger also waded into the immigration debate, but the stance that gave Ms Hanson a platform to wield her power in the Senate only earnt Kruger a whole heap of backlash.

Today’s daily “Mixed Grill” segment gained a lot more attention than usual when during a debate the vibrant co-host suggested a policy that she believed could help ease the threat of terrorism on our shores.

“Personally, I would like to see [Muslim migration] stop now for Australia,” she said.

The backlash followed and so did the defence. Ms Kruger said she wanted to be able to discuss the issue “without automatically being labelled racist”.

Sonia Kruger was in hot water over her endorsement of a Muslim immigration ban.Source:YouTube

KARL STEFANOVIC

The popular Today host is frequently the subject of articles resulting from his entertaining interactions with guests and trademark larrikinisms on the breakfast program, but headlines turned slightly more sinister in October when news of his marriage split came out.

Stefanovic’s 21-year marriage to Cassandra Thorburn played out in public when it emerged he had been crashing at pal James Packer’s Bondi pad.

The breakfast host’s once-private right-hand woman responded to reports with a tirade on Facebook where she opened up about the toll that her high profile husband’s job had on her and their children.

Karl Stefanovic and wife Cass Thorburn called it quits. Picture: Belinda RollandSource:Supplied

The couple are living apart, and while Stefanovic is yet to speak publicly about the split, his boss Darren Wick, Channel Nine’s director of news, has admitted Karl has had to take some time out “working through with his family situation”.

Stefanovic has been linked to food blogger Sofia Levin, who has denied rumours and claimed the pair are just friends.

TARA BROWN

Accustomed to being the one telling the big stories, 60 Minutes reporter Tara Brown was in a very different position earlier this year when she was thrown into a Lebanese jail accused of kidnapping.

The saga that saw Brown and three other Nine employees jailed in Beirut, along with Brisbane mother Sally Faulkner, was supposed to end in a happy family reunion and one neat story for the current affairs program.

Journalist Tara Brown and Sally Faulkner being driven from a Beirut prison. Picture: Hussein Malla/AP PhotoSource:Supplied

Instead, it became an international scandal costing Nine millions in legal bills, and it became one of the biggest stories of the year.

The crew had travelled to Lebanon with Ms Faulkner to retrieve her children, who had been taken by their father, with the assistance of a child rescue agency.

When things didn’t go as planned the incident threatened to undo the program and bring down one of its biggest stars, but since returning to Australia after Nine struck a deal with the children’s father, Brown has been back on air and the show continues.

Arden Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas made headlines after the Dreamworld tragedy. Picture: Christopher Pearce/Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

DEBORAH THOMAS

Deborah Thomas’s name had featured occasionally in newspapers’ business pages since taking the helm of entertainment company Ardent Leisure last year.

But the former model and magazine editor turned chief executive was thrust into the spotlight and onto front pages after disaster struck at one of the company’s biggest assets, the Gold Coast’s Dreamworld theme park.

When four people were killed on what was one of the park’s most family-friendly rides, Ms Thomas was nowhere to be seen for days, until a disastrous shareholder meeting exposed Ardent’s apparent mishandling of the media attention that came with the tragedy.

After enduring days of scrutiny Ms Thomas turned things around to make good with the families of victims, and work towards reopening the park with their memories in mind.

The federal election went off forever, and Malcolm Turnbull just scraped through. Picture: Lukas Coch/AAPSource:Getty Images

MALCOLM TURNBULL

The federal election went on forever, and now it seems like forever ago.

But the eight-week campaign and subsequent drawn-out count was one of the most significant Australian news events of the year.

The Prime Minister called double dissolution election with a marathon lead-up to try and get through some legislation that just kept getting stuck in the Senate, and to clear up the chaotic crossbench.

After a tedious count, it finally came out that Mr Turnbull had in fact won the election, albeit with the slimmest of majorities and an independent-filled crossbench that’s made his leadership difficult ever since.

The election also brought us Opposition Leader Bill Shorten’s daily jogs and man-boobs, and some incredible candidate fails.