Why Barack Obama? >>
We ask rally participants.

Behind-the-scenes photos >>
Sprinting rallygoers, Reik the bomb-sniffing dog, $4 Polish sausage, Chicago’s finest, and more

Waiting for the Rally: A Timeline >>
"1 p.m. Find out that Access Hollywood has paid a local man to come to Grant Park and save its spot. The man sits on a folding chair and reads a hardcover edition of Russell Simmons’ book, Do You!: 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success."

On the Way >>
Obama biographer David Mendell on the historic victory

From the Outside In >>
Coda blogs it from the streets

 

Photograph: Esther Kang