His
parents divorced in 1964 and he moved to Indonesia after his mother married
Lolo Soetoro (L) in 1965. He is pictured here along with his half-sister, Maya
(C).
In
1971, Obama returned to Honolulu to stay with his maternal grandparents —
Madelyn and Stanley Dunham. His superb basketball skills earned him the
nickname “O’Bomber” in high school.
After
high school, Obama went to Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, and
two years later transferred to Columbia University in New York City, New York,
U.S. He graduated with a B.A. degree in Political Science in 1983, then worked
first as a market researcher. He moved to Chicago two years later and worked as
a community organizer for three years.
In
1988, he enrolled at Harvard Law School and became Harvard Law Review’s first
African American president. In Chicago, Obama was interning at a Chicago law
firm Sidley & Austin when he met his future wife, Michelle Robinson, who
was his mentor. On their first date, he took Michelle to see the film “Do the
Right Thing.”
After
a three-year courtship, the two married on Oct. 3, 1992. That year, Obama began
teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. In July 1995, Obama's memoir,
"Dreams from My Father," was published. In November that year, his
mother died of ovarian cancer at age 52.
Over
the next few years, the Obamas added two daughters to their family. Malia (R)
was born in 1998 and Sasha in 2001. From 1997 to 2004, he served in the
Illinois state senate. During his tenure, he sponsored a bill that required the
police to videotape interrogations in capital crime cases – a first of its kind
in the United States.
In
2004, Obama was selected as the keynote speaker at the Democratic National
Convention. In his speech, he decried the impulse to divide the U.S.: "The
pundits like to slice and dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red
States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them,
too: We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal
agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in
the Blue States, and, yes, we've got some gay friends in the Red States. There
are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported
the war in Iraq."
The
speech made Obama a national figure and talks began of him running for the
presidency in 2006. He won the U.S. Senate election in Illinois in 2004. His
Senate office desk, which once belonged to Robert Kennedy, had a carving of a
wooden hand holding an egg, which is a Kenyan symbol of the fragility of life.
The
popular senator announced his candidacy for president of the United States at
the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, in February 2007. Obama was a
longshot candidate who went up against such big names as Hillary Clinton, Joe
Biden and John Edwards. Obama's message of hope and change resonated with
Democrats, and he won the primaries.
Following
a tough campaign against Republican John McCain, Obama was elected U.S.
president with over 66 million popular votes and 365 electoral votes on Nov. 4,
2008. He was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States in January
2009, making history as the first African American to hold the position.
In
2009, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “his extraordinary efforts to
strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
In
March 2010, he signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,
which came to be known informally as Obamacare. It sought to provide healthcare
for more Americans than any other healthcare plan in the past.
In one
of the major landmarks in the U.S.-led war on terror, Osama bin Laden – the
al-Qaida chief and the mastermind behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the
U.S. – was killed in a raid by the Navy SEALS in his hideout in Abbottabad,
Pakistan, in May 2011.
The
Benghazi attack of Sept. 11, 2012, when militants attacked the American
diplomatic compound in Libya and killed the American ambassador Chris Stevens
and three others, was one of the low points during the Obama presidency and would
come back to tarnish the then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L).
In
November 2012, Obama was re-elected as President, beating Republican nominee
Mitt Romney. Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2013, to begin his term, becoming
the third successive president – after Bill Clinton and George W. Bush – to be
elected for a second term.
In a
landmark achievement, the Obama government in July 2015 succeeded in getting
Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for relaxation in the sanctions
imposed on the country. The same year, the Paris Agreement, which came into
effect on Nov. 4, 2016, was adopted by consensus in December. The agreement was
negotiated between representatives from over 190 countries and aimed to bring
into effect measures that deal with containing global warming. Obama hailed the
agreement as “a turning point” for the world.
In
March 2016, Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since Calvin
Coolidge in 1928. Cuba and the U.S. restored diplomatic relations in July 2015.
At the
Democratic convention in July 2016 leading to the 2016 presidential election,
Obama put his full support behind Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and
urged his former Secretary of State to defeat Donald Trump. “Even in the midst
of crisis, she listens to people. And she keeps her cool. And no matter how
much people try to knock her down, she never, ever quits. That is the Hillary I
know,” Obama said. However, Trump defeated Clinton to become the 45th U.S.
President.
In
January 2017, Obama delivered his farewell speech in Chicago. He said:
"Yes, yes. I said before, and I will say again, that when we started on
this journey we did so with an abiding faith in the American people and their
ability, our ability, to join together and change the country in ways that
would make life better for our kids and our grandkids, that change didn't
happen from the top-down but it happened from the bottom-up."
After
leaving office, Obama went on a Polynesian vacation with his family. During a
month-long trip, he went kitesurfing, snorkeling, paddle boarding and met
famous people such as Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks and Richard Branson.
In May
2017, he was honored with the Profile in Courage Award by the John F. Kennedy
Presidential Library and Museum.
The
Obamas and Netflix signed a production deal in May 2018. Netflix said on
Twitter: "President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama have entered into a
multi-year agreement to produce films and series for Netflix, potentially
including scripted series, unscripted series, docu-series, documentaries, and
features.”
The
company came to be known as Higher Ground Productions. Obama said: “We created
Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling… Touching on issues of race
and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these
productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us
all.” In April 2019, the company unveiled a list of projects, including “The
Fifth Risk,” “American Factory” and “Bloom.”
In
March 2017, the Obamas had signed a book deal with Penguin Random House. Markus
Dohle, CEO of the publishing house, said: "With their words and their
leadership, they changed the world, and every day, with the books we publish at
Penguin Random House, we strive to do the same. Now, we are very much looking
forward to working together with President and Mrs. Obama to make each of their
books global publishing events of unprecedented scope and significance."
The
former first lady released her book, "Becoming," in November 2018,
which quickly became one of the most popular political memoirs.
In
September 2018, he delivered an eulogy (pictured) at the funeral of John
McCain. Obama was one of the two former presidents (the other being George W.
Bush) that McCain had selected to speak at his funeral.
Exactly
a year later, Obama met Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg in
Washington D.C. Following the meeting, Obama tweeted: "Just 16,
@GretaThunberg is already one of our planet's greatest advocates. Recognizing
that her generation will bear the brunt of climate change, she's unafraid to
push for real action."
In a
message he shared via video on April 14, 2020, Obama officially endorsed the
candidacy of Joe Biden for the year’s presidential elections. "The kind of
leadership that's guided by knowledge and experience, honesty and humility,
empathy and grace – that kind of leadership doesn't just belong in our state
capitols and mayors offices. It belongs in the White House. And that's why I'm
so proud to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States," he
said. Obama is also busy writing his memoir, which is expected to release this
year.
Barack
Obama picked songs by the likes of Billie Eilish, Beyonce and Frank Ocean for
his 2020 summer playlist.
The
former president of the United States took to social media this week to unveil
his top tracks for the season, including a number of stars who will be
performing at the Democratic Convention this week.
He
tweeted: "Over the past few months, I've spent a lot of time listening to
music with my family.
"I
wanted to share some of my favourites from the summer - including songs from
some of the artists performing at this week's @DemConvention.
"As always, it's a mix of genres that travels through various eras. I think there's something in here for everybody - hope you enjoy it." Amongst the performers set for the DNC, Obama named the likes of Common ('Forever Begins'), The Chicks ('Gaslighter)', Billie Eilish ('My Future') and Billy Porter ('For What It's Worth').
Meanwhile, John Legend and Koffee's collaboration 'Don't Walk Away makes the list, as does Leon Bridges and Khruangbin song 'Texas Sun'. A number of top 2020 tunes feature on the soundtrack, including Princess Nokia's 'Gemini', Moses Sumney's 'Rank & File' and Frank Ocean's 'Cayendo'.
The
59-year-old politician also picked some classic tracks, such as Steve Wonder's
hit 'Do I Do', 'I'll Be Seeing You' by Billie Holiday and 'Could You Be Loved'
by Bob Marley and The Wailers.
A
number of artists from Obama's 2019 summer playlist reappeared this year, with Rihanna
and Drake returning with 'Work', Anderson .Paak back with 'Lockdown', and
Beyonce down twice with 'Savage Remix' alongside Megan Thee Stallion, and with
Major Lazor and Shatta Wale on 'Already'.
Last
summer, Obama and his wife Michelle signed a deal with Spotify and announced a
series of podcasts under the Higher Ground Productions banner.
And in
July this year, Michelle debuted her series 'The Michelle Obama Podcast' on the
streaming platform.
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