The moment America knew

It was a decisive moment, a historic moment. A moment when a nation realized its greatest hopes and darkest fears.

Where were you, we’ll ask each other, days or years from now. Where were you when Donald J. Trump confounded pundits and upended projections to become the President-Elect of the United States?

It will be hard to forget such a moment, or the pivotal images that have immortalized it.

To set the stage, here is CNN’s Wolf Blitzer making the announcement:

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Donald Trump elected president

00:49 - Source: CNN

The emotion was instant. You could see it in the crowds dotted with bright red hats who cheered, sobbed and embraced at Trump’s election night event at the New York Hilton Midtown hotel.

It was a moment of pure elation.

The emotion was there too on the stunned faces of Hillary Clinton’s supporters who had gathered to celebrate what had, once, seemed like a likely victory.

For them, it was a moment of pure desolation.

In that moment, in the early hours of November 9 after nearly two years of an unprecedented and at times unbelievable campaign, the Empire State building glowed an uninterrupted red. Its facade bore a stories-high projection of Donald Trump: America’s next President.

See more photos from election night here:

President-elect Donald Trump delivers his acceptance speech at his election night event in New York City on Wednesday, November 9. "Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential," the Republican said. "The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer."

Trump, on stage with his family, acknowledges the crowd at the New York Hilton Midtown Hotel. He was gracious toward his opponent, Hillary Clinton, and called for unity. "We owe (Clinton) a very major debt of gratitude to her for her service to our country," Trump said. "I say it is time for us to come together as one united people."

Trump supporters cheer election returns in New York.

A person sits at the Javits Center, the site of Clinton's election night event in New York.

Trump's victory is projected onto the Empire State Building in New York.

Clinton supporters react to results at the Javits Center.

Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, takes the stage to speak at the Javits Center. He told the crowd that Clinton would not be speaking. At the time, Clinton was behind in the Electoral College with several states still too close to call. She later conceded in a phone call to Trump.

A woman attends a watch party at the rooftop bar 230 Fifth in New York.

Trump supporters cheer during his election night event in New York.

A man reacts as he watches voting results at the Javits Center.

Republicans in Newport Beach, California, erupt in celebration as Trump's victory in Florida is announced.

Clinton supporters react to election results at the Javits Center.

Marta Lunez prays at the Javits Center.

A Trump supporter in New York reacts as Ohio is called for Trump.

Clinton supporters watch the voting results at the Javits Center.

Trump supporters cheer during his election night event in New York.

People watch election results from Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta.

An emotional Gerardo Ruiz watches the election results from Clinton's headquarters in east Los Angeles.

Trump supporters cheer during his election night event in New York.

Clinton supporters watch results from the Javits Center.

Claire Shea, dressed as Clinton, cheers during an election night party at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Wellesley College is Clinton's alma mater.

People watch voting results at the Javits Center in New York.

Buttons decorate a Clinton supporter at the Javits Center.

Diane LaRaia watches election results at a party for Trump supporters in Braintree, Massachusetts.

An American flag hangs above the media at the Javits Center.

Boxes containing mail-in ballots sit waiting to be sorted at the San Francisco City Hall polling location.

Kathleen Lundy eyes her ballot in Salt Lake City.

A man in Philadelphia hangs a sign reminding people to vote.

A man snaps a selfie with his child as he waits to vote in Brooklyn, New York.

Harvey Erwin, a 94-year-old World War II veteran, votes with his 3-year old great-granddaughter in Joplin, Missouri. Fellow voters applauded Erwin as he walked to the front of the voting line. "People turned and started clapping all the way to the front of line and saying 'Thank you for your service,' " his daughter, Janine Erwin Johnson, told CNN. "It made tears stream down my face because of the recognition to my sweet dad."

A man votes in the bakery department of an Austin, Texas, grocery store.

"I voted" stickers are placed at the gravesite of Susan B. Anthony in Rochester, New York. Anthony, a social reformer who died in 1906, played a major role in the women's suffrage movement.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her husband, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, greet supporters after voting in Chappaqua, New York.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump looks at his wife, Melania, as they cast their votes in New York.

Voters cast their ballots at a Chicago laundromat on November 8.

Penn State students stand in line inside the Student Union, called The Hub, waiting to cast their ballots in State College, Pennsylvania.

John and Colleen Kramer vote at the Caplinger Mills Trading Post in Caplinger Mills, Missouri.

Voters fill out ballots at the Mount Vernon Center in Alexandria, Virginia.

A hand-painted message appears on a billboard in Columbiana County, Ohio.

People cast their votes at the Echo Park Pool in Los Angeles.

A legal observer with the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada stands at the entrance of a polling location in North Las Vegas.

A tourist takes her "misfortune" slip from The All-Seeing Trump, a machine set up across the street from the New York Hilton Midtown Manhattan Hotel.

Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, votes in Indianapolis.

Clinton's running mate, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, votes with his wife, Anne Holton, in Richmond, Virginia.

Denise Richardson votes at the Chua Phat To Gotama Temple in Long Beach, California.

U.S. Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, arrive at a polling place to cast their votes in Phoenix.

People line up to cast their ballots at an elementary school in Chesterfield, Virginia.

Democratic polling judge John Ramirez is reflected in a mirror as he helps a voter at a beauty salon in Chicago.

With sitar players performing next to him, Efrem Harkham meditates after voting at the Luxe Hotel polling station in Los Angeles.

Voters cast their ballots in a polling location inside Mike's TV and Appliance November 8, 2016 in State College, Pennsylvania.

A woman reads over a ballot while waiting to vote in Brooklyn.

A voter drops his ballot into a voting box in Sutherlin, Oregon.

People vote at the Los Angeles Lifeguard station in Venice Beach, California.

Trump's son Eric signs in to vote at the 53rd Street Library in New York.

A voter casts a ballot inside the Halloran Skating Rink in Cleveland.

A line stretches down the street in New York as voters wait for a polling site to open.

Voters look at a sample ballot at a polling location in Independence, Missouri.

Voters in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, cast their ballots shortly after midnight. The small town south of the Canadian border continued its tradition of voting early, with Clinton winning four votes to Trump's two. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson picked up one vote, while Mitt Romney, the 2012 GOP nominee, received a surprise write-in vote.

Election Day in America

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