Who Was Alive

Were Joseph Brodsky and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Joseph Brodsky and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 34 years, from 1961 to 1996.

Joseph Brodsky was 21 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 34 when Joseph Brodsky died, aged 55.

Joseph Brodsky

Russian-American poet

Born 24 May 1940 · died 28 January 1996, aged 55

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. Joseph Brodsky
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Joseph Brodsky 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.