Most people think they know the real Barack Obama. Once he became president, he became the most powerful person in the world. And we got to hear his thoughts on a variety of different issues as he led the country for eight years.
However, the Obama that we got to know was one who was mature, seasoned by years of life experience. And he was also politically savvy, wisely understanding the dangers of letting his political enemies know too much about how he really felt about them.
In his younger days, though, Barack Obama was an entirely different person. He alternated between being playful and being a playboy, and it’s easy to see how this charismatic and brilliant young man was destined to become famous even if he never set foot into the dangerous world of politics.
Want to finally learn a bit more about the real Barack Obama? Check out these jaw-dropping photos from his younger days!
Old school yearbook photo
We tend to make a big deal about people looking very different in their old yearbook photos. And while young Obama looks different in many ways from his older self, this photo confirms that his trademark grin has been around from the beginning.
Obama and his Indonesian half-sister as children
While many people are familiar with Obama’s paternal half-siblings from Kenya, most people forget Obama has a maternal half-sister born in Indonesia named Maya Soetoro-Ng. The video above shows amazing photos of Obama and Maya as children in both Indonesia and Hawaii.
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Set sail for the high seas
Barack Obama was very close to his mother growing up. And in this photo, you can see her helping him with his Halloween costume (in this case, a fearsome pirate) during his childhood in Hawaii.
All washed up
Obama was only a pirate for that one Halloween. And since he couldn’t conquer the high seas each and every day, this photo shows how he was content to play in the surf with people like his grandfather (Stanley Armour Dunham).
Trouble on wheels
Parents often dread when their children master riding a bike because the kid now has that much more freedom. And no child has ever been quite so excited about that freedom as Obama is in this picture!
The baseball boy
As president, Obama didn’t throw out many ceremonial pitches at baseball games because, as he admits, he’s not great at pitching. But as this adorable childhood photo shows, he is much more at home swinging at the ball than throwing it!
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For the love of the game
Obama may have enjoyed baseball as a younger man, but he developed a real passion later on for basketball. He still found time to play while serving as president, and this 1979 photo shows him honing his skills at the prestigious Punahou School in Honolulu.
Obama the writer
Some were surprised at Obama’s writing skills when he released best-selling books like Dreams From My Father and The Audacity of Hope. But he was always interested in writing, and this photo shows his days working on the literary magazine Ka Wai Ola back when he was at Punahou.
Before Michelle
It’s almost impossible to think of Barack Obama romantically involved with anyone other than Michelle Obama. But he once dated Genevieve Cook, and this photo shows how nerdy sweet this couple really was!
Looking all grown up
In the earlier yearbook photo, the Obama we know and love was nearly unrecognizable except for his earnest grin. In this teenage yearbook photo, the grin is gone, but we can see many more of the classic features that eventually made Obama one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
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Early political ambitions
You could argue that Barack Obama’s political ambitions began relatively early with his legal studies. For example, this 1990 photo shows Obama after he was elected president of the Harvard Law Review. He was the publication’s first black president, just as he would eventually be the first black president of the country!
A hug that meant the world
It’s pretty much impossible to look at Barack and Michelle Obama and not see a power couple that truly loves each other. And this pre-marriage photo of Michelle giving him a supportive hug shows us that they were destined to be together.
Keeping it cool
One of the reasons that Obama was a popular president was that, regardless of his policies, many people saw the young, athletic, and handsome guy as just plain cool. And this 1980 photo from his time at Occidental College makes Obama look like a pop star in the making!
The big wedding day
It’s an open secret that your wedding day is as much for the rest of your family as it is for you. Perhaps that’s why Barack and Michelle Obama took the time on their wedding day to snap this sweet shot alongside their respective mothers.
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Wedding day exhaustion
Strictly speaking, most wedding photos are misleading. They present the couple’s big day as a joyous celebration, but these photos rarely show how downright exhausting all of this can be for the bride and groom. And that’s why we love this photo of Barack and Michelle taking a few minutes to rest and recuperate from the stresses of the day.