Picture from Barack Obama Inaugiration Ceremony

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More than one million people gathered in the National Mall in a wintry Washington DC, to see Mr Obama take the oath shortly after 1200 (1700 GMT).

He used his inaugural address to vow to begin the work of “remaking America”.

The new US leader said his country faced a number of challenges but was entering a “new era of responsibility”.

Earlier, in his inaugural address, Mr Obama made reference to the scale of his achievement at being the first black American elected to the White House, in a remark that gathered one of the biggest cheers of the speech.

“This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed… why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”

The new president takes office amid a dismal economic climate and with the US still embroiled in two wars.

On a day of unprecedented security in Washington DC, the inauguration ceremony began on the West Front Lawn of the US Capitol, where Congress sits, with an opening prayer asking for the protection and safety of the new president and vice-president.

Mr Obama stood solemnly during the invocation by conservative Rick Warren, his eyes closed in the final moments before he took office.

Joseph Biden, a veteran senator, was then sworn in as vice-president by the longest-serving member of the US Supreme Court.

Using his full name, Barack Hussein Obama, he placed his hand on a Bible used by Abraham Lincoln at his inauguration in 1861 and repeated the oath of office, promising to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States”.

Fun Facts

From George Washington to Barack Obama, many changes have been made to the ceremony. Here is a list of fun and interesting facts from Inauguration history:

The Nation’s Capitol has not been the only host of inaugurations. Other sites that have are New York City, NY; Philadelphia, PA; Buffalo, NY; Plymouth, VT; and Air Force One.
Martin Van Buren, Inaugurated in 1837, was the first President who was not born as a British subject.
The longest Inaugural Address was 8,445 words while the shortest was 135 words.
African Americans participated in the Inaugural Parade for the first time in 1865 for Abraham Lincoln’s Inauguration.
William McKinley’s 1897 Inauguration was the first recorded by a motion picture camera.
Women first participated in the Inaugural Parade for Woodrow Wilson in 1917.
Ronald Reagan’s 1985 Inauguration was the coldest with a temperature of 7 degrees Farenheit.
In 1997, William Clinton’s Inauguration was the first to be broadcast live on the internet.

Source : http://news.bbc.co.uk, http://www.chevroncars.com