Inauguration: All Eyes on Washington on Historic Day for USA

Millions of people are gathering in the US capital and millions more around the world are tuning in to see Barack Obama sworn in as America's 44th president - and its first African-American leader.

Published on January 20, 2009

As dawn broke in a cold Washington DC, crowds were packing into the National Mall to witness Mr. Obama take the oath of office at exactly 12:00 noon EST.

Unprecedented security is in place, with 40,000 security personnel either on duty or stand-by in the city.

Across the US, there is a sense of history being made shared by Americans.