The life and times of Obama

On August 4 2010, Barack Obama celebrated his 49th birthday, his second as the President of United States of America. His election set a new landmark in American history, as he became the first African American to hold the highest post in the United States. One of the finest orators of recent times, he has been a crowd favourite almost every time he takes centre stage.

Known for his enthusiasm and pleasing personality, his leadership qualities tried to give new directions to American foreign policy which was highly criticised in the past.

Here's a look at his life so far.

Motherly love: This 1960's photo provided by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, D-Ill, shows Obama with his mother Ann Dunham. Dunham met Obama's father, Barack Obama Sr. from Kenya, when both were students at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; they married in 1960.

Joy of life: This photo provided by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, D-Ill, shows the US President, Barack Obama, on the beach with maternal grandfather, Stanley Armour Dunham.

One to remember: This 1970's photo shows Obama with his mother Ann Dunham, center, his Indonesian step-father Lolo Soetoro, and his less than one-year-old sister Maya Soetoro in Jakarta, Indonesia.

First Innings: This 1960's photo of Obama's childhood provided by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, D-Ill, features him playing with his baseball bat in Hawaii.

Dreams from his father: This undated photo released by Obama for America shows Barack Obama and his father, also named Barack Obama. Obama's father left the family to study at Harvard when Barack was just two, returning only once. Obama wrote poignantly about this visit in his memoir, remembering the basketball his father gave him, the African records they danced to, the Dave Brubeck concert they attended. Obama, then 10, never saw his father again.

The players: In this 1977 file photo provided by the The Oahuan, yearbook of Punahou School, Barack Obama, second row center, is seen with is junior varsity basketball team in this 1977 yearbook class photo in Honolulu. Obama loved basketball and as a forward dubbed Barry O'Bomber, he favored a left-handed double pump shot. During his senior year, the varsity team captured the state championship.

With buddies: This 1972 photo provided by Na Opio, the yearbook of Punahou School, shows Barack Obama, in back row, third from left, posing with his 5th grade class at the Punahou Elementary School a prestigious private school in Honolulu that attracts the island's wealthiest, and most accomplished students.

Posing perfect: This undated photo shows Obama while a student of Harvard Law School, where he became the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, of which he is holding a copy.

Sitting together: This 1976 photo provided by The Oahuan, the yearbook of Punahou School, shows Barack Obama, in front row, fourth from right, with his 9th grade class outside of Punahou School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Superstar smile: This undated photo shows Obama, in New York City, while a student at Columbia University. Obama received his BA degree in political science in 1983 from Columbia.

His lineage: This undated photo provided by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, D-Ill., shows his maternal grandparents Stanley and Madelyn Dunham in Cambrige, Mass., during World War II.

Celebration time: This photo provided by the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, D-Ill., shows the US President, Barack Obama, in 1979 during his high school graduation in Hawaii with his maternal grandparents, Stanley Armour Dunham and his wife Madelyn Payne, both natives of Kansas.

Holy ties: This photo released by Obama for America shows US PResident Barack Obama and his bride Michelle Robinson, a fellow Harvard Law School graduate, on their wedding day October 18, 1992, in Chicago, Illinois.

Having a 'Ball': In this picture, Barack Obama is shown dancing with wife Michelle at the Western Ball, one of several inaugural balls in Washington, Jan. 20, 2009. (NYT Photo)

With the family: In this May 3, 2008 file photo American President Barack Obama, D-Ill., his wife Michelle and their two daughters Malia, top right, and Sasha arrive at the airport in Indianapolis. By early May, Obama's campaign was back on track after uproar over controversial comments by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and a controversial comment of his own about bitter small-town residents.

Busy working: In this July 22, 2004 file photo then-Democratic Senate nominee Barack Obama, working near a photo of a victorious Muhammad Ali standing over his challenger, reads through his keynote address that he is to deliver to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. In the 17 minutes it took to deliver the speech Obama created a national buzz, and pundits and politicians began talking about him as a presidential candidate.

Grandma musing: In this February 5, 2008, file photo Sarah Hussein Obama, the paternal grandmother of US President Barack Obama, sits in the living room of her house in the village of Kogelo, near the shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya, where she plans to listen to the results of the Super Tuesday contest in the US on the radio as she has no television.

Memories on wall: In this February 5, 2008 file photo, a photograph of Barack Obama Sr., father of US President Barack Obama, D-Ill., hangs on the wall of his grandmother Sarah Hussein Obama's house in the village of Kogelo, near the shores of Lake Victoria, Kenya.

A preacher: This photo released by Obama for America shows a Barack Obama teaching at the University of Chicago Law School. After Harvard Law School, Obama returned to Chicago, joined a small civil rights firm, ran a voter registration drive, and lectured on constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Shot to fame:Obama began his run for the presidency in February 2007. After a close campaign in the 2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries against Hillary Clinton, he won his party's nomination.

In the 2008 general election, he defeated Republican nominee John McCain and was inaugurated as president on January 20, 2009.

Touching supremacy: A gifted orator, Obama has an ability to unite people, which he showcased during his 2008 Presidential campaign where he went on to become the 44th President of USA.

Exercising leadership: In his first few days in office, Obama issued some very important executive orders and presidential memoranda, including that of the withdrawal of the US military troops from Iraq, closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, and also reversed former US President George W Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions. (AFP Photo)

Managing diplomacy: Another important step taken by the US President was his bid to make amends with the Muslim world.

Furthering his efforts, he delivered a speech in Cairo University in Egypt calling for "a new beginning" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.

Icing on the cake: Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009 for his his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between people. (AFP Image)