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1. "...preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"So help you God."

"So help me God."

"Congratulations, Mr.President."

Barack Obama has been sworn in as the nation's 44th president of the United States. President Obama is the first African-American to hold the office. The Obamas started the day with a traditional church service, then they had pre-inauguration¹ coffee at the White House with now former President George W. Bush.

2. A crowd stretching from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial braved cold temperatures in Washington to witness Barack Obama taking the oath. Some projections² put the crowd at more than a million people, possibly the biggest inaugural³ gathering⁴ in history.

3. The event may also mark the largest security operation in presidential inauguration history. Among other things, authorities are monitoring intelligence that a Somali-based group may try to disrupt today's events.

4. Inaugural celebrations were also taking place overseas. Residents of President Obama's ancestral home in Kenya have come together to celebrate his taking office.