1. He is left-handed, a trait his boyhood schoolmates in Indonesia found curious. In their culture, children were expected to write with their right hand.

2. Raised by nonreligious parents, he became a Christian as an adult and joined Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago in 1988.

3. At the suggestion of his wife, he quit smoking before beginning this presidential campaign.

4. He was one of three black students at his high school, Punahou Academy, in Hawaii.

5. He is descended from slaveowners on his mother's side; as far as it can be determined, none of Obama's ancestors was a slave.

6. He won a Grammy in 2006 for Best Spoken Word for the CD version of his autobiography, "Dreams From My Father."

7. He taught constitutional law part time at the University of Chicago for several years before being elected to the U.S. Senate

in 2004.

8. If he weren't a politician, he'd like to be an architect.

9. Favorite movies: "The Godfather" (Parts I and II) and "Lawrence of Arabia."

10. He has described his family as so diverse that their reunions are like "a mini-U.N."