Who Was Alive

Were Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 6 years, from 1961 to 1968.

Martin Luther King Jr. was 32 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 6 when Martin Luther King Jr. died, aged 39.

Martin Luther King Jr.

American Baptist minister and civil rights leader

Born 15 January 1929 · died 4 April 1968, aged 39

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. Martin Luther King Jr.
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Martin Luther King Jr. 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.