Ten years ago today, on November 4, 2008, Barack Obama became the first African-American to be elected as president of the United States, defeating Republican John McCain.
The then 47-year-old Democrat, who became the 44th U.S. president, garnered 365 electoral votes and nearly 53 per cent of the popular vote, while his 72-year-old Republican challenger captured 173 electoral votes, more than 45 per cent of the popular vote.
The symbolic news of Obama’s victory, for most Americans, came at 11 p.m., yet tens of thousands of people who were elated about the history-making moment turned out to hear Obama’s victory speech in Grant Park in his hometown Chicago.
In his speech, he made clear that while his victory signalled a change in America, much remains to be done in terms of the core issues that faced the country at the time – among them the economy, and the Iraq War.
Despite some challenges he faced with the U.S. economy, he accomplished many great things by the time his term ended in January 2017, after securing a second term in 2012.
The 2012 Person of the Year is credited for ending the war in Iraq, taking down Bin Laden, saving the American auto industry, favoring women rights and equal pay, repealing “Don’t ask, Don’t tell,” establishing “The Dream Act,” ending the 2008 recession, and a host of others.
Below are photos of the extraordinary night the first black president got elected into the White House:
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has said that his little brother was subjected to racial abuse,…
Reggie Bush has regained his place as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner after over a…
Since 2012, actor Nick Cannon has openly shared his struggle with lupus to support others…
Former USC superstar Caleb Williams has been drafted by the Chicago Bears as the No.…
Stephen A. Smith is an ESPN analyst. People widely regard him as the face of…
Lil Durk is an American rapper and one of the most influential voices in the…
In 2022, Kevin Hart added a new title to his impressive resume: a tequila entrepreneur.…
AEW's latest pay-per-view, Dynasty 2024 on Sunday night saw Swerve Strickland defeat Samoa Joe to…
Renowned civil rights activist Opal Lee, known as the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," will be awarded…
Violet Horne lost her two sons to gun violence within the space of a month.…
An Ohio man said a K-9 bit him seven times after he was pulled over…
Three male foreign tourists who were spotted posing naked in a popular dune in Namibia…
Will.i.am is partnering with other prominent figures to revolutionize the digital media scene by forming…
Sabelle Beraki's childhood was inundated with the lack of representation when it came to a…
Benjamin Harvey is the founder of AI Squared, a third-party software company that helps organizations…