1 / 46 photos Barack Obama

President Barack Obama's father, Barack Obama, Sr., was born in Kenya. The president's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, was born in Kansas. President Obama was born in Honolulu— The first U.S. president born in Hawaii.

Barack Obama was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He entered Harvard Law School in 1988, and was selected to head the journal in his second year.

In 2006, Barack Obama won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio book edition of his best-selling book 'Dreams from My Father'.

Barack Obama cuddles with wife Michelle and daughters Malia and Sasha. The future first couple met working at a Chicago law firm. 

 As an Illinois state senator, Obama would play poker to break up the tedium of long legislative sessions. In 2004, he was elected to the U.S. Senate in the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.

George Clooney and Barack Obama share a joke during a press conference in April 2006. The Hollywood hearththrob and activist spoke about his recent visit to the Darfur region of Sudan.

Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, playing in Concord, New Hampshire. Sasha Obama is the first person born in the  21st century to inhabit the White House.

Obama speaks during a church service commemorating the 1965 Selma-Montgomery Voting Rights March.

Obama with his wife Michelle and Oprah Winfrey during a campaign rally in South Carolina.

Presidental hopeful Senator Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama greet supporters during in Chicago, Illinois in February 2008.

A young supporter gives candidate Obama a drawing at a campaign stop in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October 2008.

Student supporters rally for Obama at a "Yes We Can" rally at George Mason University in Virginia in February 2007. He annouced his candidacy later that month.

An Obama supporter holds up a sticker on election night in Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois.

In New York City, people gather to watch election night results in Times Square.  After nearly two years of campaigning, Americans finally got to cast their votes.

People cheer for the results of the 2008 presidential election in Times Square.

Reverend Jesse Jackson and talk show host Oprah Winfrey join with other Obama supporters to celebrate Obama's history-making win as the first African-American to be elected president of the United States.

Barack Obama stands with his future vice president Joe Biden after delivering his victory address in Chicago. Obama described Biden as 'a man who campaigned with his heart' during his speech.

Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and daughters Sadha (in black dress) and Malia (in red dress) greet the crowd at an election night rally in Chicago's Grant Park. Obama has promised his daughters a new puppy when the family moves into the White House.

President-elect Barack Obama greets supporters for his victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago on election night.

Malia Obama share a congratulatory hug after with her father following his moving acceptance speech.

Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe and Jill Biden are all smiles at their election night victory party.

Barack Obama told the nation in his address that the road ahead would be difficult, and asked everyone to join him in the work of remaking the nation.

As Barack Obama gave his acceptance speech, many members of the enthusiastic crowd were overcome by emotion. They could be heard chanting his campaign motto 'Yes We Can' at times.

An Obama supporter holds up a 'Yes We Can' sign as President-elect Barack Obama gives his victory speech during an election night gathering in Grant Park.

President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle share a private moment the night of his election as the first African-American president of the United States. Before announcing his presidential candidacy, Obama quit smoking at his wife's insistence.

A supporter sports an "I voted for change" patch on election night in Chicago.

At a casino in Las Vegas a supporter holds up a 'Yes We Did' sign at the Democratic Party's election results watch party.

President Barack Obama takes the oath of office, placing his hand on the Lincoln bible held by First Lady Michelle Obama on the steps of the U.S. Captial in Washington.

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as first lady Michelle Obama and their daughter Malia watch after the Oath of Office during the inauguration ceremony in Washington, January 20, 2009.

Record crowds of approximately two million people gather on the National Mall for the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington D.C.

President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama walk up Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House during the Inaugural Parade.

President Barack Obama and wife Michelle Obama during their first dance at the Western Inaugural Ball. The couple danced to 'At Last', sung by Beyonce.

An official portrait of the president-elect, one week before he takes office in January 2009.

An official portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama in the Blue Room of the White House, her new home.

President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden walk toward the podium to make a statement after the House of Representatives passed the health care reform legislation in March 2009. It was one of Obama's first and most significant policy changes.

In the Situation Room President Obama listens during a meeting about the U.S. capture and killing of Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2009.

U.S. President Barack Obama delivers a speech on Mideast and North Africa policy at the State Department May 19, 2011 in Washington, DC. The 'Arab Spring' uprisings brought the region to the top of Obama's foreign policy agenda.

President Obama lays a wreath in New York City at the 9/11 Memorial at Ground Zero on May 5, 2011, four days after he announced the killing of Osama bin Laden.

President Obama greets a young studdent at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Washington, D.C. He signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 on December 13, 2010. Healthy eating and combating childhood obesity have been major public priorities for First Lady Michelle Obama.

In the Cabinet Room at the White House, President Obama meets with Speaker of the House John Boehner, Majority Leader Harry Reid, and Vice President Joe Biden in July 2011. The lawmakers worked out an eleventh hour deal to avert a debt default.

President Obama boards Marine One on the South Lawn of th White House as he heads to Camp David with his family on July 9, 2011.

President Obama waves to the crow as he leaves Osan, South Korea. Osan was the final destination on his first tour of Asia as President.

President Obama uses his time aboard Air Force One to sign a bill.

At the Norwegian Ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., President Obama signs a book of condolences after 76 people died in Norway in a bomb attack and shooting rampage in July 2011.

President Obama makes a statement to the press in Chilmark, Massachusetts, as millions of Americans on the east coast braced for the impact of Hurricane Irene on August 26, 2011.

At Madam Tussauds Wax Museum, wax figures of First Lady Michelle Obama, U.S. President Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey wearing party hats are posed in a replica of the Oval Office. The President celebrated his 50th birthday at the White House on August 4, 2011.