November 4 in history — On This Day

Crowd waving American flags at Grant Park in Chicago on election night, with an Obama 2008 sign and a CNN screen reporting the projected winner
2008

Barack Obama Is Elected the First African American President

On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama won the United States presidential election, defeating Senator John McCain. He became the first African American elected president, with 365 of 538 electoral votes.

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The Story Behind the Photo

Chicago After the Fire: From Burned Blocks to a New Skyline

A photograph taken after the 1871 fire can make Chicago look as though its future had been decided by a wall of flame. A view from around 1905 tells a different story: tall offices, busy transport routes and commercial streets crowded again.

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