Barack Obama's First 100 Days

Day 1
Jan. 20, 2009

Obama became known for his soaring speeches throughout the campaign, but in his Inaugural Address he strikes a decidedly more sober tone, focusing on the sizable challenges the country faces and the individual civic responsibility needed to overcome them. His inspiring words echo out over a sea of nearly 1.8 million people stuffed onto the National Mall — likely the largest event ever in the nation's capital.

After a congressional luncheon marred by the health scare of Senator Ted Kennedy's collapse, the celebrating continues until the wee hours of the morning, with the Obamas marching down Pennsylvania Avenue and then stopping by 10 official inaugural balls peppered with celebrities like Beyoncé, Marc Anthony, Faith Hill, Shakira and Alicia Keys. All eyes remain on Michelle Obama, who wows the crowd with a long white gown fashioned for her by up-and-coming designer Jason Wu.

Aside from a few minor glitches — including Chief Justice Roberts' oath of office flub and some ticket holders' not being able to get onto the Mall — much of the highly-anticipated Inauguration festivities go off without a hitch.

Browse Obama's first 100 days by date.