Barack Obama
He shattered the ultimate racial barrier in American politics, becoming the nation's first Black president and reshaping its image at home and abroad.
Born 1961 (age 65)·President of the United States from 2009 to 2017·Birthday: August 4·Baby Boomers
Biography
Barack Obama's journey from a community organizer on Chicago's South Side to the Oval Office is a defining American narrative. Born in Hawaii to a Kenyan father and a Kansan mother, his early life was marked by a search for identity, which he later chronicled in his memoir, 'Dreams from My Father.' After graduating from Harvard Law School, where he became the first Black president of the Harvard Law Review, he returned to Chicago, teaching constitutional law and entering politics. His 2004 Democratic National Convention speech catapulted him onto the national stage, framing a message of hope and unity. As the 44th President, he navigated the Great Recession, passed the Affordable Care Act, ordered the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, and restored diplomatic relations with Cuba. His presidency, defined by a measured and intellectual demeanor, left a profound mark on the nation's social fabric and global standing.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Barack was born in 1961, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barack Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Barack's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Could drive
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 60
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 65 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Became the first African American to be elected President of the United States in 2008.
- Signed the Affordable Care Act into law, expanding health insurance coverage to millions of Americans.
- Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his efforts to strengthen international diplomacy.
- Authorized the military operation that resulted in the death of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.
- Authored two bestselling memoirs, 'Dreams from My Father' and 'The Audacity of Hope.'
Did You Know?
He is a devoted Chicago White Sox fan, in contrast to many in Washington who support the Nationals.
He collected Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comic books as a child.
He and Michelle Obama had their first date seeing the Spike Lee film 'Do the Right Thing.'
He is a left-handed writer, one of only eight U.S. presidents who were left-handed.
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
