Yesterday
was a historic day. On January 20th, 2009, Barack H. Obama was sworn in
as the 44th President of the United States of America - the first
African-American ever to hold the office of U.S. Commander-in-Chief.
The event was witnessed by well over one million attendees in chilly
Washington D.C., and by many millions more through coverage on
television and the Internet. Collected here are photographs of the
event, the participants, and some of the witnesses around the world. (
48 photos total)

The
Capitol is illuminated in the early morning hours before the
inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States
of America January 20, 2009 in Washington, DC. (David McNew/Getty
Images)