Who Was Alive

Were Donald Knuth and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Donald Knuth and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 65 years, from 1961 to today.

Donald Knuth was 23 when Barack Obama was born.

Donald Knuth

American computer scientist and mathematician

Born 10 January 1938 · living, 88 as of September 2026

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Adolf Hitler
  3. Ronald Reagan
  4. Nelson Mandela
  5. Donald Knuth
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Donald Knuth and Barack Obama in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.