Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States Courtesy of barackobama.com

The 44th President of the US, Barack Obama, was appointed into office at 6 pm Polish time, on Tuesday. He is the first African American President of the US.

Thousands of people had descended onto Washington to take part in the festivities organized for the appointment.

His predecessor, George W. Bush, ended an eight-year term, with record low support ratings. (RG)