Washington, August 4: Former United States President Barack Obama, who was also the first-ever head of state from African-American descent, was born on this date in the year 1961. Even four years after demitting Office, Obama continues to remain one of the most revered personalities among the coloured and other marginalised groups in the US. On his 59th birthday, here are five interesting facts to know about Obama.

  • Obama's father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr, was born in Kenya and had later shifted to the US. His father's Kenyan origin makes him a revered personality in the African nation as well, with a school named in Kogelo town after him.

  • Between the age of 6 and 10, Obama lived in Indonesia with his mother and stepfather. In 1971, he returned to Hawaii and lived with his maternal grandparents.

  • To support his life as a student, Obama worked at an ice cream outlet of Baskin-Robbins. This is cited as one of the reasons why he reportedly does not prefer ice cream as a dessert.

  • Obama is credited for a landmark legislation against racial profiling during his stint as Illinois Senator. After the law was passed, it was mandatory for the police to videotape homicide interrogations.

  • Obama is also one of the rare personalities to be named twice as Time magazine's 'Person of The Year'. The honour was accorded to him in 2008, when he won the presidential elections, followed by 2012 when he retained the post.

Obama's tenure as the US President ended in 2016. As the country's constitution bars a person to remain in power for more than two terms, he could not put his hat in the ring for a third term. In the elections that followed, the Democratic Party was defeated and Republican Party's Donald Trump emerged as the next President.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 04, 2020 07:59 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).