The first African-American president of the United States, Barack Obama was born on Aug. 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

President Obama was first elected to the U.S. presidency in 2008 and is currently serving his second term after being re-elected in 2012. His time in the oval office has so far been marked by gay rights, health care and immigration reform.

Prior to his presidency, Obama was a 1983 Columbia University graduate. In 1990, he became the first African-American editor of the Harvard Law Review and subsequently graduated from Harvard, magna cum laude, in 1991.

In 1992, President Obama married his wife, Michelle Obama. They have two daughters, Natasha (Sasha) and Malia Ann.

President Obama moved to Chicago where he worked as a civil lawyer and taught part time at the University of Chicago Law School until 2004. He was elected to the Illinois State Senate and served from 1997 to 2004.

During his time in the state senate, President Obama worked to draft legislation on ethics, and created health care and early childhood education opportunities for the poor in Illinois.

In June 2013, President Obama’s NSA surveillance program came under fire. Later this year in July, he spoke out about the murder of Trayvon Martin and the outrage that followed the acquittal of Trayvon’s killer, George Zimmerman.

Source: LaToya Bowlah for BET Network via BET.com