Obama ushers in era of responsibility

At 12:05 p.m., on a day heavy with symbolism, the 47-year-old former senator from Illinois took the oath of office as the nation’s first African American chief executive, placing his hand on the Bible used by Abraham Lincoln 148 years ago.

Massive Crowds Gather for Obama Inauguration

Hundreds of thousands of people have gathered on Washington’s national mall for the inauguration of Barack Obama as America’s 44th president. The crowd is expected to swell to an estimated one to two million looking on as Mr. Obama becomes the first African-American to take the presidential oath of office.

As daylight broke over Washington, tens of thousands had already packed the vast mall stretching out from the U.S. Capitol building where Barack Obama will take the oath of office.

Beginning in the early hours, Washington’s subway system was crammed with people making their way into the city to observe the inauguration.