Obama’s journey to the White House

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# Early public service: Signs on as a full-time community organiser with a church-based group in Chicago in 1985.

# Breaks a barrier: Accepted by Harvard Law School in 1988, where he is elected the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review in 1990 and makes headlines.

# First-hand experience: Becomes the director of Illinois Project Vote, an organisation focused on registering minority voters, in 1992.

# First political triumph: Runs for the Illinois State Senate and wins in 1996.

# Repeats feat: Is re-elected to the Illinois Senate in 2002.

# Under the spotlight: Impresses Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry with his win, who taps him for the opening speech at the 2004 party convention.

# Compelling speech: Attracts worldwide recognition in a 17-minute speech at the convention when he announces himself as the son of a Kenyan goat herder and a free-spirited white Kansan whose unlikely story was uniquely American.

Talk of a presidential run begins, thanks to what became known as ‘The Speech’.

# Stunning debut: In November 2004, defeats Republican opponent 70 per cent to 27 per cent and wins a US Senate seat.

# Momentous step: Announces White House bid from the steps of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, in February last year.

# A huge upset: Snatches victory from front-runner Hillary Clinton in the first caucus of the 2008 race in Iowa on Jan 3.

# Important endorsement: Liberal lion Senator Edward Kennedy anoints him as the inspirational heir to slain brother John F. Kennedy.

# Bitter fight for supremacy: Battles with Mrs Clinton in the marathon 24-state Super Tuesday primaries showdown on Feb 5, heralding a bitter, down-to-the wire race.

# Speech on race: Seeking to contain the damage from incendiary remarks made by his pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, regarding the nation’s racial divide, he delivers a remarkable dissertation on race in March.

# Closes deal: Clinches the nomination during the final primaries in June by winning the required number of 2,118 delegates, and becomes the first black to lead a major US party into the race for the White House.

# Open coffers: Opts out of the public financing system for presidential campaigns.

# Cash-rich campaign: Reports raising nearly US$600 million (S$888 million), including a record-shattering US$150 million in September. Combined with money the Democratic National Committee spent during the election, he has spent nearly US$745 million on his primary and election campaigns.

# New era: Becomes the first African-American to be elected the President of the United States after defeating Republican rival John McCain in the presidential election.