Almost 120 million people across the US voted after polls opened on Tuesday [AFP]
Published On 6 Nov 20086 Nov 2008
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Democrat Barack Obama won with more than 64 million votes - exit polls said that African-Americans, young people and new voters supported him in great numbers [AFP]
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Classes at Obama's former primary school in Indonesia were suspended so that pupils could follow the election [EPA]
American voters abroad and fans of Obama and John McCain, the Republican candidate, watched the election, for instance here in Amsterdam [EPA]
Times Square in New York provided big screens on which onlookers saw the Democrats win key battleground states [AFP]
As the results unfolded voters at a party near Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, began to realise that the first US black president was to become reality [AFP]
The historic and convincing victory also saw the Democrats extend their number of seats in the US Congress [AFP]
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The Republicans lost out in states such as Ohio that had been deemed necessary to win to gain the presidency [AFP]
McCain and his runnning mate Sarah Palin held a rally in Phoenix Arizona where McCain conceeded defeat [AFP]
McCain applauded Obama and commended his ability to inspire Americans [EPA]
Incumbent President George Bush phoned Obama to offer his congratulations and invite him and his family to the White House [Reuters]
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi revelled in the Democrats' unseating 10 Republicans in the House of Representatives [REUTERS]
Obama has two daughters and the family appeared at an election night gathering in Chicago, Illinois [AFP]
Obama embraces his wife Michelle who will become first lady when they enter the White House on January 20 next year [AFP]
Democrat vice-president elect Joe Biden and his wife Jill also appeared in Chicago to a crowd that spanned generations [AFP]
Obama spoke to those assembled about such issues as social justice and the experience of minorities and women in America, saying that change had now come [AFP]
Supporters celebrated the Illinois senator's win in Kenya, where Obama's father is from [Reuters]
While countries around the world congratulated Obama [Reuters]
And back in Washington, DC, preparations began almost immediately for the inauguration in January [GALLO/GETTY]
