Who Was Alive

Were Christopher Columbus and Nicolaus Copernicus alive at the same time?

Yes. Christopher Columbus and Nicolaus Copernicus were alive at the same time for 33 years, from 1473 to 1506.

Christopher Columbus was 21 or 22 when Nicolaus Copernicus was born.

Nicolaus Copernicus was 33 when Christopher Columbus died, aged 54 or 55.

Christopher Columbus

Italian navigator, explorer, and colonist

Born 1451 · died 20 May 1506, aged 54 or 55

Nicolaus Copernicus

Polish mathematician and astronomer

Born 19 February 1473 · died 24 May 1543, aged 70

  1. Christopher Columbus
  2. Leonardo da Vinci
  3. Niccolò Machiavelli
  4. Nicolaus Copernicus
  5. Michelangelo
  6. Martin Luther
Christopher Columbus and Nicolaus Copernicus 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.