January 20, 2009
Braving sub-zero temperature and patiently crossing the strict security barriers, hundreds of thousands of people on Tuesday converged at the National Mall in Washington before dawn, hours ahead of the swearing-in ceremony of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
An estimated two million people have thronged Washington to witness the momentous occasion, when an African-American would enter the White House, which itself was built by black slaves.
Image: The sun rises behind the US Capitol on the morning of the inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States.
Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters
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