Barack Obama
44th President
2009 - 2016
Obama was born in Honolulu on August 4, 1961. The name Barack in Swahili it means "blessed."
His father Barack Husssein Obama was from Kenya. He was killed in an auto accident in 1982.
Obama spent his childhood living in Jakarta, Indonesia.
His family returned to Hawaii in 1971.
Barack collected comic books. Spider Man and Conan the Barbarian comics were amongst his favorites.
He played basketball in high school and still enjoys a pick-up game.
He graduated from High School with honors.
Obama attended Occidental College for two years and then went to Columbia University. He earned his law degree at Harvard University. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard.
Barack was 47 years old when he took office.
He worked as a community organizer at the Harlem campus of City College in New York and later in Chicago.
During his time at Harvard he meet Michelle Robinson who he married in 1992.
When he defeated John McCain in the 2008 election, he had a larger share of the popular vote than any Democrat since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. He won 365 electoral votes that year.
Before he became President he had numerous jobs. Including:
- Baskin Robbins staff
- Community organizer in Chicago
- Taught at the University of Chicago Law School
- Civil rights lawyer
- Illinois State Senator
- U.S. Senator
His mother-in-law lived with them in the White House. Several other presidents including Truman had their mother-in-law live in the White House.
He gained noticed nationally with his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
President Obama campaigned on the slogan "Change you can believe in."
President Obama was the first president to use the word Muslim in an inaugural address.
President Obama collects "Spiderman" and "Conan The Barbarian" comic books.
Barack has read every "Harry Potter" book.
President Obama had the largest crowd to ever attend an inauguration. Estimates range from 1.8 to 2 million people.
First African American President.
Over 1,300 groups have applied to march in Obama's Inaugural parade. This compares to 400 for George Bush's second term.
Barack Obama was the first two term president to say the presidential oath four times. He said the oath at his first inauguration. Due to an error by the Supreme Court Justice the oath had an error. So Obama took the oath the next day. January 20th was a Sunday so his second inauguration took place on January 21. However Obama took the oath in a private ceremony on the 20th and at the public inauguration on the 21st.
Joe Wilson, Republican from South Carolina, shouted "You lie" during Obama's State of the Union message.
He has been known to splurge on Fran’s Chocolate Smoked Sea Salt Caramels. Like Reagan, Obama even included the chocolate-caramel treats at his inauguration. The Fran Company saw a sales increase of 50 percent, according to The Seattle Times.
President Obama is the first president to be sworn in by a justice he voted against. He voted against John Roberts becoming a Supreme Court Judge.
Barack promised his daughter that they could have a dog if he was elected president. The family dog Bo was born October 9, 2008. He is a male Portuguese Water Dog.
President Obama and the Chief Justice of the Supreme court made mistakes in giving and saying the oath of office "The oath reads: "I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of president of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
In giving the oath, Roberts misplaced the word "faithfully," at which point Obama paused quizzically. Roberts then corrected himself, but Obama repeated the words as Roberts initially said them.
President Obama used the same Bible as Abraham Lincoln used when he was sworn in as President. For his second inauguration he used the Lincoln Bible and a Bible used by Martin Luther King Junior.
"After the flub heard around the world," President Barack Obama has taken the oath of office. Again. Chief Justice John Roberts delivered the oath to Obama on Wednesday night at the White House — a rare do-over. The surprise moment came in response to Tuesday's much-noticed stumble, when Roberts got the words of the oath a little off, which prompted Obama to do so, too.
Don't worry, the White House says: Obama has still been president since noon on Inauguration Day.
Over 1,300 groups have applied to march in Obama's Inaugural parade. This compares to 400 for George Bush's second term.
Barack Obama was the first two term president to say the presidential oath four times. He said the oath at his first inauguration. Due to an error by the Supreme Court Justice the oath had an error. So Obama took the oath the next day. January 20th was a Sunday so his second inauguration took place on January 21. However Obama took the oath in a private ceremony on the 20th and at the public inauguration on the 21st.
Nevertheless, Obama and Roberts went through the drill again out of what White House counsel Greg Craig called "an abundance of caution." (Source)
Obama was the first president to mention Gay Rights in his inauguration address. "Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law,"
He is he first president to air his weekly address via video web sites YouTube.
On October 9, 2009 Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. He won for " his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."
In 2015, President Barack Obama meet with Cuban President Raul Castro. It was the first the leaders of those two leaders met since 1958.
In May of 2016, President Obama made a historic trip to Cuba he was first sitting US president to visit the Communist ruled island since Calvin Coolidge did in 1928.
Obama said: “My lifetime has spanned a time of isolation between us. “I have come here to bury the last remnant of the Cold War in the Americas.” Young
In 2010, at the urging of President Obama, a national health insurance reform bill was passed.
President Obama is the first president to have an official portrait taken with a digital camera.
On May 1, 2011 President Obama announced that Obama bin Laden had been killed by U.S. Navy SEALs.
He told Men's Health magazine that he works out six mornings a week for 45 minutes.
On May 8th, 2012 President Obama announced that he supported same sex marriages.
His slogan for the 2012 election was "Forward!"
On November 6th, 2012 Barack Obama was elected to a second term. He was the first Democrat in 150 years to win a presidential election when it was held on November 6th.
Obama "tweeted" after his election: "This happened because of you. Thank you"
He was the first President to tweet on election night.
This is the first time since President Jefferson, President Madison, and President Monroe that we have had three presidents in a row win election for two terms.
President Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama all were elected to two terms.
In November of 2012, President became the first president to visit Cambodia and Burma (also known as Myanma).
On December 20, 2012 President Obama was name "Person of the Year" by Time Magazine. He had also been named Person of the Year in 2008 after he won the election for president. It was only the fourth time in modern history of Time Magazine that it hasn't had the color red on the cover.
(The other three times were: First edition no the September 11 Attacks; 2008 Earth Day issue had a green border; and the 10 anniversary the September 11 attacks. "We are in the midst of historic cultural and demographic changes," Time managing editor Richard Stengel said in announcing its choice. "And Obama is both the symbol and in some ways the architect of this new America."
At least eight presidents have been named person of the year. Most presidents who have served two terms have been name twice. This goes back to FDR. President Ford and President Hoover were not named person of the year.
President Obama was the first President to go to the Arctic Circle.
On March 14, 2016 President Obama visited Cuba. He was the first president to visit Cuba since Calvin Coolidge visited Cuba in 1928. He was the only President to visit Cuba until Obama's visit. Quotes:
In his Inaugural Address: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward."
"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I am asking you to believe in yours."
"They can say that this was the time when America learned to dream again."
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