Who Was Alive

Were Susan Sontag and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Susan Sontag and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 43 years, from 1961 to 2004.

Susan Sontag was 28 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 43 when Susan Sontag died, aged 71.

Susan Sontag

American writer and filmmaker, professor, and activist

Born 16 January 1933 · died 28 December 2004, aged 71

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. Susan Sontag
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Susan Sontag 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.