Barack Obama was born in 1961 in Hawaii. His father was a black scholar from Kenya, and his mother was a white teacher. His parents divorced when he was two. He later moved to Indonesia with his mother and stepfather, attending elementary school there for four years. After his mother’s second divorce, he returned to Hawaii, where he struggled in middle and high school, skipping classes, getting into trouble, and experimenting with drugs.

He later turned his life around. In 1983, he graduated from Columbia University and in 1988 from Harvard Law School. He worked as a civil rights lawyer, a professor, and then became a state senator and U.S. senator.

In 2008, Obama won the U.S. presidential election. As president, he shifted from George W. Bush’s unilateral and hardline policies toward a more diplomatic, cooperative, and internationally engaged approach. He proposed plans to end the long Iraq War, earning widespread international acclaim, and in 2009 was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He adopted a “surge then withdraw” strategy in Afghanistan, gradually reducing U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

On March 8, 2009, a temporary White House staffer took a photo with Obama on their last day. Responding to the staffer’s young son, Obama bent down so the boy could touch his hair and compare it to his own.

In 2011, U.S. forces in Pakistan successfully killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, ending a 10-year hunt. The Iraq War had also largely concluded. These achievements were widely seen as major successes for Obama.

In 2015, Obama reached a 15-year nuclear agreement with Iran, lifting economic sanctions in exchange for halting Iran’s nuclear weapons program, easing tensions in the Middle East. That same year, the U.S. normalized relations with Cuba, restoring diplomatic ties after 54 years. In 2016, Obama visited Cuba to further foster friendly relations.

Also in 2015, Obama visited a U.S. prison and personally spoke with six inmates, drawing on his own youthful mistakes to encourage them to reform. He is the only U.S. president known to have personally visited a prison in this way.

In 2016, Obama visited Japan, advocating for a nuclear-free world and personally visiting Hiroshima to honor the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing, while reinforcing the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Obama is known for his quick thinking, charismatic speeches, and approachable style. He enjoys basketball and socializing with celebrities, which made him widely popular. When he left office in 2017, his approval rating remained around 60%. He now resides in Washington, D.C.