Washington, Nov 5: Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has created history by defeating his Republican rival John McCain to become the first Black President of the United States.

The 47-year-old Democratic senator from Illinois swept to victory over his Republican opponent McCain by building an Electoral College majority of 367 votes to McCain’s 168 at the time of filing the story.

Meanwhile, McCain has conceded defeat to Obama, telling supporters “the failure is mine.”

San Francisco - An 11-year-old white girl came home from school in rural California a few days before the election quoting a slogan she had heard from one of her friends: "Rosa sat, so Martin could walk, so Barack could run, so we could fly."

That saying poignantly encapsulates the history of the civil rights movement and the meaning of Barack Obama's groundbreaking presidential victory, summing up the movement that has transformed both the law and society in the 53 years since Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

Washington (dpa) - Democrat Barack Obama boosted his lead over Republican John McCain in the electoral college, claiming 207 votes in elections Tuesday after capturing the key battleground state of Ohio, according to projections by major US news networks.

The complex electoral college system awards each of the 50 states' and the District of Columbia's electoral votes to the candidate who prevails in the state's popular vote. A candidate needs 270 votes to clinch the White House.

At least two television networks have projected the winner in the following states: <#

Washington - Democrat

Washington - The Democrats have picked up four seats from Republicans in the Senate in elections on Tuesday and are poised to make significant gains to widening their majorities in both congressional houses, network projections showed.

The Democrats won two seats vacated by retiring Republicans in Virginia and New Mexico, while Democratic challengers ousted two of their Republicans opponents in New Hampshire and North Carolina.

Los Angeles - With patience and passion, California residents turned out to vote in record numbers, adding to the more than 100 million US voters expected to exercise their franchise Tuesday.

That meant long lines that snaked around parking lots, through shopping malls and across entire city blocks.

For many voters, especially those supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the day was suffused with a sense of destiny.