Who Was Alive

Were Thomas Sankara and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Thomas Sankara and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 26 years, from 1961 to 1987.

Thomas Sankara was 11 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 26 when Thomas Sankara died, aged 37.

Thomas Sankara

President of Burkina Faso from 1983 to 1987

Born 21 December 1949 · died 15 October 1987, aged 37

Barack Obama

44th President of the United States

Born 4 August 1961 · living, 65 as of September 2026

  1. Albert Einstein
  2. Ronald Reagan
  3. Nelson Mandela
  4. Donald Trump
  5. Thomas Sankara
  6. Vladimir Putin
  7. Michael Jackson
  8. Barack Obama
Thomas Sankara 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.