WASHINGTON (CNN)  -- They came from all corners of the world, braved fiercely cold temperatures and stood together on the Mall in Washington to share in one historic moment -- when Barack Obama became the 44th president and the first African-American elected to the post.



Crowds at the inaugural parade cheer and snap photos of President Obama on Tuesday.



Millions of people packed the Mall early Tuesday to watch Obama's inauguration and later hit the parade route to catch a glimpse of the new president. For many, the inauguration was the realization of a dream they never thought could be fulfilled.



This is America happening," said Evadey Minott of Brooklyn, New York. "It was prophesied by [the Rev. Martin Luther] King that we would have a day when everyone would come together. This is that day. I am excited. I am joyful. It brings tears to my eyes." Obama's speech: How did he do?



L.J. Caldwell of Somerset, New Jersey, said Obama's inauguration capped five decades of struggle for African-Americans.



"When you think back, Malcolm [X] fought. Then we come a little further, Rosa Parks sat. Then come up a little further, and Martin [King Jr.] spoke. Then today, President Obama ran, and we won."  Watch Obama say Americans have "chosen hope over fear" »



iReporter Barbara Talisman, 48, of Chicago, watched Tuesday from a spot on the Mall near the American Museum of Natural History.



"The historical significance of today and importance of our work made it necessary for me to be here and not at home. I want to be a witness," Talisman said.



Kim Akins, 43, of Chicago, Illinois, who lives just blocks from Obama's home, made the trek to Washington with her 8-year-old daughter, Chloe.



Vanessa Reed of Centerville, Virginia, took her daughters to a spot on the inaugural parade route.



"I was going to take my daughter here if it was the last thing I did," she said. "It's breathtaking. ... It's overwhelming."



Vanessa Reed of Centerville, Virginia, who brought her two young daughters to the inauguration, reflected on Obama's speech as she sat with her daughters across from the presidential reviewing stand at the end of the parade route.



"It was beautiful. It spoke to the issues of the moment," said Reed, who worked for the Obama campaign. "I am proud this country saw what we saw in him."



Patrick Bragg, 44, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, contemplated the day as he tried to stay warm standing over steam vents on H Street.



Patrick Bragg says he rode a bike 18 miles to get to downtown Washington on Tuesday morning.



"I've been sitting here thinking -- it's really beautiful," said Bragg, who rode a bike 18 miles from Bethesda, Maryland, to attend Tuesday's ceremonies. "This is what I would consider the true representation of all of America. Obama gives everyone space at the table."



Some of those attending Tuesday recalled how they were part of the effort that culminated in the historic day.



"You remember why you are doing it all, why you were working so hard on the campaign making phone calls, knocking on doors and getting slammed in the face sometimes," said iReporter Vanessa Palmer of the University of South Florida in Tampa.



Howard University student Shakuwra Garrett, 18, said she felt like "a part of history."



"I can carry this with me the rest of my life," Garrett said. "It's an accomplishment for all of us."



The accomplishment crossed borders and oceans for some of those at Tuesday's inauguration.



"The dream came true," said Fatima Cone, 39, who came to the U.S. from Ivory Coast, where her mother wears an Obama T-shirt.



She conveyed the excitement her family feels in West Africa.



"The fight is the
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