History is made: Obama is 44th US President

Barack Obama became the 44th U.S. president Tuesday, shattering American racial barriers as the first black leader of the nation he promised to free from the grip of its profound economic troubles and steer away from wars in two distant lands. The swearing in ceremony was watched by a vast sea of humanity, numbering over two million. The 47-year-old Obama assumed power over a country longing for change after former President George W. Bush's eight divisive years in the White House, an era that witnessed the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks, the beginning of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and an economic collapse not seen since the 1930s Great Depression. In a moving speech after the oath-taking, Obama promised the world a new America that listens to all voices.

Latest headlines

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  Obama's tryst with history
  

• Obama becomes the 44th US president

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Run-up to inauguration

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  Challenges ahead
  

• Obama to discuss war matters on day 1 at work

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  MSN Special
  

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Image gallery

• Images: Obama makes his tryst with destiny

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