Who Was Alive

Were Douglas Adams and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Douglas Adams and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 39 years, from 1961 to 2001.

Douglas Adams was 9 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 39 when Douglas Adams died, aged 49.

Douglas Adams

British science fiction writer and humorist

Born 11 March 1952 · died 11 May 2001, aged 49

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

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

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Ronald Reagan
  3. Nelson Mandela
  4. Donald Trump
  5. Douglas Adams
  6. Vladimir Putin
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Barack Obama
Douglas Adams 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.