50 photos for Michelle Obama’s 50th birthday
Sen. Barack Obama walks from the U.S. Capitol with his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, Malia, 6, left, and Sasha, 3, to a reception after his swearing-in. (Pete Souza / Chicago Tribune)
Here’s a selection of photos from First Lady Michelle Obama’s early days all the way to Washington, D.C. to mark her 50th birthday in January 2014.
Read more: Politics in 2014.
Michelle Obama, the wife of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, shakes hands with supporters during a “Women for Obama” event in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. (Justin Lane / EPA)
Presidential candidates’ spouses, from left, Jeri Thompson, Michelle Obama, Ann Romney, Elizabeth Edwards and Cindy Hensley McCain, pose together after speaking at the California Governor and First Lady’s Conference on Women in Long Beach. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)
Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey sit together during a rally in Manchester, N.H. (Elise Amendola / Associated Press)
Michelle Obama greets supporters at a rally in Glendale. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrive on stage during a rally in San Antonio, Texas. (Rick Bowmer / Associated Press)
Then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, center, with his wife, Michelle, third from right, and David Axelrod, chief strategist for the Obama campaign, left, look at posters at “Go Tell Mama! The Officially Unofficial Obama Art Show” in Raleigh, N.C. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Then-Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama embraces his family, daughter Malia, 9, left, daughter Sasha, 6, and his wife, Michelle, as they are greeted by supporters on the banks of the Willamette River in Portland, Ore. (Greg Wahl-Stephens / Associated Press)
Michelle Obama, wife of then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, visits with children at the ODU Lions Child Studies Center in Norfolk, Va. (L. Todd Spencer / Associated Press)
Michelle Obama makes an appearance on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in New York city. (Evan Agostini / Associated Press)
Michelle Obama gives her husband, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, a fist-bump before he speaks to supporters at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn. (Craig Lassig / EPA)
Then-Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama hugs his wife, Michelle, on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. (Shawn Thew / EPA)
Then-President elect Barack Obama stands on stage along with his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia, second from right, and Sasha during an election night gathering in Chicago. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)
First Lady Michelle Obama, left, and President Obama review troops with Vice President Joe Biden, second from right, and his wife, Jill, after Obama’s first inauguration. (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)
President Obama dances with First Lady Michelle Obama at his first Inaugural Ball. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walk out onto the North Portico to welcome India’s prime minister and his wife to the president’s first State Dinner at the White House. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at a “Careers in Film” symposium, designed to teach high school students about the film industry, in the East Room of the White House. (Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA)
First Lady Michelle Obama greets Marines and their families before a speech at Camp Pendleton. (Denis Poroy / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at a rally to support the campaign of Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
First Lady Michelle Obama visits Beverly Hills to promote her initiative to help military families while appearing at the Writers Guild Theater for a panel discussion with Hollywood director J.J. Abrams and others. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
Former South African President Nelson Mandela shows a book to First Lady Michelle Obama at his home in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Debbie Yazbek / AFP/Getty Images)
From left, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, First Lady Michelle Obama, former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Nancy Reagan attend the funeral of former First Lady Betty Ford at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert, Calif. (David Hume Kennerly / EPA)
First Lady Michelle Obama does the “Interlude” dance during a Let’s Move event with children from Iowa schools at the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa in 2012.
(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)First Lady Michelle Obama, featured on a LED screen, gives the keynote address for the first full graduating class of UC Merced. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)
First Lady Michelle Obama walks onto the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. (Tannen Maury / EPA)
First Lady Michelle Obama watchas as her husband, Barack Obama, is sworn in as president for the second time. (Larry Downing / Associated Press)
President Obama kisses First Lady Michelle Obama as their daughters Sasha, left, and Malia take photographs nearby during the inaugural parade in Washington, D.C. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama share a dance during the Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center. (Evan Vucci / Associated Press)
President Obama bows as he and First Lady Michelle Obama get ready to dance at the Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama dances with school children during the debut of a school exercise program in Chicago. (Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images)
First Lady Michelle Obama harvests lettuce and other vegetables from the White House kitchen garden’s summer crop with children from Union Beach Memorial School, which was affected by Hurricane Sandy. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)
First Lady Michelle Obama joins school children from Long Beach Island Grade School in Ship Bottom, N.J., to harvest the summer crop from the White House kitchen garden. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama clutches her fists as she speaks at a White House event to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama, center, flexes her arms for “Sesame Street” characters Elmo and Rosita during a White House event to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press)
President Obama, Carter, First Lady Michelle Obama and former President Bill Clinton wave from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., as they leave an event marking the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama hugs 2-year-old Ashtyn Gardner of Mobile, Ala., at an event welcoming military families in the State Dining Room of the White House. (Michael Reynolds / EPA)
First Lady Michelle Obama reads “The Night Before Christmas” with Sesame Street character Abby Cadabby during the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony next to the White House. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)
First Lady Michelle Obama attends the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. (Kristoffer Tripplaar / Getty Images)
President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron pose for a selfie with Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt next to First Lady Michelle Obama during the memorial service for Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Roberto Schmidt / AFP/Getty Images)
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with daughters Malia, third from left, and Sasha, sing during the finale of TNT’s “Christmas in Washington” program, which benefits the Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. (Martin H. Simon / EPA)
Dressed as Santa, Gavin Lindberg, left, and Isaiah Horst, 15, right, listen as First Lady Michelle Obama reads the holiday story “The Night Before Christmas” to children at the Children’s National Health System in Washington, D.C. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)
President Obama, right, and First Lady Michelle Obama meet with a group of mothers in the Oval Office of the White House to discuss how healthcare reform could benefit their families. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)
First Lady Michelle Obama listens to President Obama during a meeting with a group of mothers to discuss healthcare reform in the Oval Office of the White House. (Michael Reynolds / EPA)