Ibn al-Haytham · Leif Erikson Were Ibn al-Haytham and Leif Erikson alive at the same time? Yes. Ibn al-Haytham and Leif Erikson were alive at the same time, from c. AD 972 to c. 1020. Ibn al-HaythamArab physicist, mathematician and astronomerBorn c. AD 965 · died 1039Leif EriksonNorse explorerBorn c. AD 972 · died c. 1020 FerdowsiIbn al-HaythamLeif EriksonAl-BiruniAvicennaWilliam the Conqueror Ibn al-Haytham and Leif Erikson 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.