Who Was Alive

Were Heinrich Böll and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Heinrich Böll and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 23 years, from 1961 to 1985.

Heinrich Böll was 43 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 23 when Heinrich Böll died, aged 67.

Heinrich Böll

German writer

Born 21 December 1917 · died 16 July 1985, aged 67

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. Heinrich Böll
  5. Nelson Mandela
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Heinrich Böll 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.