Here's a look at the life of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.

Personal: Birth date: August 4, 1961

Birth place: Honolulu, Hawaii

Birth name: Barack Hussein Obama, Jr.

Father: Barack Hussein Obama, Kenyan government official and former goat herder

Mother: Stanley Ann (Dunham) Obama Soetoro, anthropologist

Marriage: Michelle (Robinson) Obama (October 3, 1992 - present)

Children: Natasha (Sasha), June 10, 2001, and Malia, July 4, 1998

Education: Columbia University, B.A., 1983, Harvard University, J.D., 1991

Religion: Christian

Other Facts: The name Barack means "one who is blessed" in Swahili.

Is the first African-American to be president of the Harvard Law Review.

Timeline: 1964 - His parents divorce when Barack is two years old.

Late 1960s - Lives in Indonesia with mother and stepfather Lolo Soetoro.

1971 - Returns to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents and attend school.

November 24, 1982 - Barack Obama, Sr., dies in a car accident in Kenya.

1992-2004 - Practices civil rights law and teaches constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

November 7, 1995 - His mother, Stanley Ann (Dunham) Soetoro, 52, dies of ovarian cancer in Honolulu.

1995 - Publishes his autobiography "Dreams from my Father," in which he admits to experimenting with marijuana and cocaine as a teenager.

1997 - 2005 - Illinois State Senator, representing the 13th District.

2000 - Runs for the U.S. House seat in Illinois' 1st District and loses to former Black Panther Bobby Rush.

July 27, 2004 - Delivers the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention.

November 2004 - Wins the U.S. Senate race in Illinois, defeating Alan Keyes. It is the first time in history a Senate race is between two African-American candidates.

January 4, 2005 - Is sworn in as U.S. senator.

2006 - Wins a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album for his reading of "Dreams From My Father."