SPOTLIGHT: Obama Wins Presidency!

BARAKA OBAMA TIMELINE:

1961: Born on Aug. 4 in Honolulu.

1967: Moves to Indonesia with mother and stepfather.

1971: Returns to Hawaii to live with maternal grandparents.

1979: Helps his high school basketball team win a state championship.

1983: Graduates from Columbia University; works for a business research company.

1985: Works as a community organizer in poor section of Chicago.

1988: Enters Harvard Law School; graduates in 1991.

1990: Becomes first black editor of prestigious Harvard Law Review.

1992: Runs Project Vote! which registers 150,000 new voters in Chicago; marries Michelle Robinson.

1993: Joins law firm specializing in civil rights cases; becomes a lecturer at University of Chicago law school.

1995: Publishes "Dreams from My Father," a well-reviewed memoir about growing up in America with an absent African father.

1996: Elected an Illinois state senator.

1998: Daughter Malia is born.

2000: Loses Democratic primary in Illinois' 1st Congressional District to incumbent Rep. Bobby Rush.

2001: Daughter Sasha is born.

2002: Speaks out against invading Iraq.

2004: Delivers keynote address at Democratic convention; elected to U.S. Senate.

2006: Publishes "The Audacity of Hope," a book detailing his views on national affairs; his narration of "Dreams from My Father" wins a Grammy Award for best spoken album of 2005.

2007: Launches presidential campaign; raises a record $100 million in campaign contributions.

Jan. 3, 2008: Wins Iowa Democratic caucuses; becomes the front-runner for the presidential nomination.

Feb. 10, 2008: "The Audacity of Hope" narration wins him a second Grammy.

June 3, 2008: Locks up the Democratic presidential nomination.

Aug. 28, 2008: Accepts the presidential nomination at Democratic National Convention.

Nov. 4, 2008: Elected president.

-- #54 Posted on Saturday, November 8, 2008 --