Barack Obama's Success and Achievements in Timeline
A closer look at the biggest achievements of Barack Obama. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.
Barack Obama, the 44th U.S. President (2009-2017), was the first African-American president. A Democrat, he previously served as a U.S. Senator for Illinois (2005-2008) and an Illinois State Senator (1997-2004). His presidency was marked by the Affordable Care Act, the end of the Iraq War, and the killing of Osama bin Laden. He faced challenges including the Great Recession and political polarization. Obama's legacy includes his efforts to address climate change and promote international cooperation.
1993: Obama Named to Crain's Chicago Business List
In 1993, Crain's Chicago Business named Barack Obama to its list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.
1996: Obama Elected to Illinois Senate
In 1996, Barack Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate, succeeding Alice Palmer.
1998: Obama Re-elected to Illinois Senate
In 1998, Barack Obama was re-elected to the Illinois Senate, defeating Yesse Yehudah.
2002: Obama Re-elected to Illinois Senate
In 2002, Barack Obama was re-elected to the Illinois Senate for another term.
March 2004: Obama Wins U.S. Senate Primary Election
In the March 2004 primary election, Barack Obama won in an unexpected landslide, making him a rising star and leading to speculation about a presidential future and the reissue of his memoir, Dreams from My Father.
July 2004: Obama Delivers Keynote Address at Democratic National Convention
In July 2004, Barack Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, which was seen by nine million viewers and elevated his status within the Democratic Party.
November 2004: Obama Wins U.S. Senate Election
In the November 2004 general election, Barack Obama won the U.S. Senate seat with 70 percent of the vote against Alan Keyes, the largest margin of victory for a Senate candidate in Illinois history.
January 3, 2005: Obama Sworn in as U.S. Senator
On January 3, 2005, Barack Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, becoming the only Senate member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
December 2006: President Bush Signs Congo Relief Act into Law
In December 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, the first federal legislation enacted with Barack Obama as its primary sponsor.
2006: Grammy Award for Dreams from My Father
In 2006, Barack Obama won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Dreams from My Father.
February 10, 2007: Obama Announces Candidacy for President
On February 10, 2007, Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, emphasizing ending the Iraq War, increasing energy independence, and reforming health care.
September 2007: Honest Leadership and Open Government Act Signed into Law
In September 2007, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, including a corporate jet provision introduced by Barack Obama, was signed into law.
2008: TIME Person of the Year Award and Grammy Award
In 2008, Barack Obama was named TIME Magazine's Time Person of the Year and won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Dreams from My Father.
2008: Obama's Effective 2008 Campaign
In 2008, Barack Obama's campaign was highlighted as one of the most effective in American history. He was also considered one of the most talented political orators of the 21st century. Historian Julian Zelizer credits Obama with a keen understanding of government institutions and policy design. Obama's policy successes included the economic stimulus package, Dodd-Frank reforms, and the Affordable Care Act.
2008: Senate Passes Obama's Defense Authorization Amendment
In the spring of 2008, the full Senate passed Barack Obama's amendment to the Defense Authorization Act, adding safeguards for personality-disorder military discharges.
February 2009: Rated Most Respected and Powerful World Leader
In February 2009, a poll conducted in Western Europe and the U.S. by Harris Interactive for France 24 and the International Herald Tribune, Obama was rated as the most respected world leader, as well as the most powerful.
February 17, 2009: Signing of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus package aimed at helping the economy recover from the global recession. The act included increased federal spending for healthcare, infrastructure, education, tax breaks, and direct assistance to individuals.
March 2009: Intervention in the Automotive Industry
In March 2009, President Obama intervened in the troubled automotive industry, renewing loans for General Motors (GM) and Chrysler to continue operations while reorganizing. The White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the sale of Chrysler to Fiat and a reorganization of GM giving the U.S. government a 60 percent equity stake.
March 2009: Lifting ban on stem cell research
In March 2009, President Obama lifted a ban on using federal funds for stem cell research.
May 2009: Rated Most Popular World Leader
In May 2009, a similar poll conducted by Harris, Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of the economic downturn.
June 2009: Call to accelerate economic stimulus
In June 2009, President Obama, dissatisfied with the pace of economic stimulus, called on his cabinet to accelerate the investment. He signed into law the Car Allowance Rebate System, known as "Cash for Clunkers", which temporarily boosted the economy.
August 6, 2009: Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed
On August 6, 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, becoming the first Supreme Court Justice of Hispanic descent.
October 8, 2009: Hate Crimes Prevention Act Signed
On October 8, 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, expanding the federal hate-crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.
October 9, 2009: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
On October 9, 2009, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced that Obama had won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".
October 30, 2009: Ban on Travel by HIV-Infected Individuals Lifted
On October 30, 2009, President Obama lifted the ban on travel to the United States by those infected with HIV.
November 7, 2009: House passes health care bill
On November 7, 2009, a health care bill featuring the public option was passed in the House.
December 24, 2009: Senate passes health care bill
On December 24, 2009, the Senate passed its own health care bill—without a public option—on a party-line vote of 60–39.
2009: Nobel Peace Prize Awarded
In 2009, Barack Obama received the Nobel Peace Prize from the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
2009: Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
In 2009, Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in international diplomacy. During his first term, his administration responded to the 2008 financial crisis with measures including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
March 2010: Agreement Reached with Russia to Reduce Nuclear Weapons
In March 2010, an agreement was reached with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to replace the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with a new pact, reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons in both countries' arsenals by about a third.
March 21, 2010: House passes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
On March 21, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which had previously been passed by the Senate in December 2009, was passed in the House by a vote of 219 to 212.
March 23, 2010: Obama signs the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, colloquially "Obamacare") into law.
April 2010: Signing of the New START Treaty
In April 2010, Obama and Medvedev signed the New START treaty.
August 5, 2010: Elena Kagan Confirmed
On August 5, 2010, Elena Kagan was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice, bringing the number of women sitting simultaneously on the Court to three for the first time in American history.
December 2010: U.S. Senate Ratifies the New START Treaty
In December 2010, the U.S. Senate ratified the New START treaty.
December 17, 2010: Signing of Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
On December 17, 2010, President Obama signed the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 into law. The $858 billion compromise included a temporary, two-year extension of the 2001 and 2003 income tax rates, a one-year payroll tax reduction, continuation of unemployment benefits, and a new rate and exemption amount for estate taxes.
December 22, 2010: "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Repeal Act Signed
On December 22, 2010, President Obama signed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, ending the policy that had prevented gay and lesbian people from serving openly in the United States Armed Forces.
May 1, 2011: Authorization of "Surgical Raid" and Death of Osama bin Laden
On May 1, 2011, Obama authorized a "surgical raid" by United States Navy SEALs that resulted in the shooting death of Osama bin Laden and the seizure of documents and computer hardware. The raid occurred in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
May 2, 2011: Poll Bounce After Osama Bin Laden's Death
Following the death of Osama bin Laden on May 2, 2011, Obama experienced a small poll bounce and steadily maintained 50–53 percent approval for about a month.
August 2, 2011: Signing of the Budget Control Act of 2011
On August 2, 2011, President Obama signed the bipartisan Budget Control Act of 2011. The legislation enforced limits on discretionary spending until 2021, established a procedure to increase the debt limit, and created a Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.
June 28, 2012: Supreme Court upholds ACA mandate
On June 28, 2012, the Supreme Court ruled by a 5–4 vote in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius that the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was constitutional under the U.S. Congress's taxing authority.
November 6, 2012: Obama Re-elected as President
On November 6, 2012, Barack Obama won 332 electoral votes and 51.1 percent of the popular vote, securing his re-election as President of the United States. He addressed supporters in Chicago after the victory.
November 2012: Decrease in Unemployment Rate
By November 2012, the unemployment rate fell to 7.7 percent.
2012: Defeated Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election
In 2012, Barack Obama defeated Republican opponent Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan in the presidential election.
2012: TIME Person of the Year Award
In 2012, Barack Obama was named TIME Magazine's Time Person of the Year.
May 2013: Highest Approval Rating Since Before 2016
Obama's approval rating reached a level unseen since May 2013, when it reached 50 percent.
2013: Decrease in Unemployment Rate
During the last month of 2013, the unemployment rate decreased to 6.7 percent.
December 2014: Negotiated Restoration of Relations with Cuba
In December 2014, Obama, with Pope Francis as an intermediary, negotiated a restoration of relations with Cuba, after nearly sixty years of détente, known as the Cuban Thaw.
2014: Decline in Unemployment Rate
During 2014, the unemployment rate continued to decline, falling to 6.3 percent in the first quarter.
2014: Shoah Foundation Ambassador of Humanity Award
In 2014, Barack Obama received The Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education's Ambassador of Humanity Award.
June 2015: Supreme Court upholds ACA subsidies
In June 2015, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 in King v. Burwell that subsidies to help individuals and families purchase health insurance were authorized for those doing so on both the federal exchange and state exchanges.
July 1, 2015: Announcement of Resumption of Formal Diplomatic Relations
On July 1, 2015, President Obama announced that formal diplomatic relations between Cuba and the United States would resume, and embassies would be opened in Washington and Havana.
July 14, 2015: Announcement of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
On July 14, 2015, a deal titled the "Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action" was announced. The deal saw sanctions removed in exchange for measures that would prevent Iran from producing nuclear weapons. The deal drew strong criticism from Republican and conservative quarters, and from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
August 13, 2015: Upgrade of Interests Sections to Embassies
On August 13, 2015, Cuba upgraded the "interests section" in Washington to an embassy.
2015: Brookings Institution Survey Ranking
In 2015, the Brookings Institution ranked Obama as the 18th-greatest American president.
March 2016: Obama's Approval Rating Reaches 50%
According to Gallup, Obama's approval rating reached 50 percent in March 2016, a level unseen since May 2013.
March 2016: President Obama visits Havana, Cuba
In March 2016, Obama visited Havana, Cuba for two days, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to arrive since Calvin Coolidge in 1928.
2016: Transgender Military Ban Ended
In 2016, the Pentagon ended the policy that barred transgender people from serving openly in the military.
2017: John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award
In 2017, Barack Obama received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
2018: Robert F. Kennedy Center Ripple of Hope Award
In 2018, Barack Obama received the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award.
2018: Gallup Job Approval Poll
In 2018, Gallup's job approval poll showed Obama received a 63 percent approval rating.
2018: Gallup Poll Shows 63% Approval Rating
In 2018, a Gallup retrospective approval poll of former presidents showed that Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating.
2020: American Factory Wins Academy Award
In 2020, Higher Ground's first film, American Factory, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
March 4, 2022: Obama Wins Audio Publishers Association Award
On March 4, 2022, Obama won an Audio Publishers Association (APA) Award in the best narration by the author category for the narration of his memoir A Promised Land.
2022: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Our Great National Parks
In 2022, Barack Obama won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Our Great National Parks.
2023: Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Working: What We Do All Day
In 2023, Barack Obama won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator for Working: What We Do All Day.
2023: Gallup Poll Shows 63% Approval Rating Again
In 2023, a Gallup retrospective approval poll of former presidents showed that Obama garnered a 63 percent approval rating again, ranking him the fourth most popular president since World War II.
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