On Wednesday, President Barack Obama completed his 100th day in office.

It was a time to stop and evaluate the new administration, to analyze the policies, positions and practices of the Obama era – from torture to taxes, from bailouts to piracy.

And that's important. Goodness knows.

But we know what you were really focused on these First 100 Days of Obama: the diversions and distractions that bounced outside of politics and landed directly in pop culture. The dog. The daughters. The fashion. The gaffes, the laughs and the tempest-in-a-teapot controversies that have, in these dark, frightening days, offered temporary respite from worries over job losses and nuclear testing, the auto industry and swine flu.

Today, now that all the political pontificating is over, we look back at what really caught our attention since Obama moved into the White House.

Jan 20

Inauguration Day. It's cold. It's crowded. It sets the tone for a bumpy but never-boring 100 days. Chief Justice John Roberts flubs the oath of office. Itzhak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma fake a live performance, bow-syncing to recorded music. And Aretha Franklin shows up wearing a giant silver hat that looks like a bow-adorned birthday cake propped jauntily atop her head.

The hat is the hit of the inauguration. The image quickly goes viral: All over the Internet, people use Photoshop to attach Franklin's giant hat to everyone else's head, from the pope to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

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