Émile Durkheim · Albert Einstein Were Émile Durkheim and Albert Einstein alive at the same time? Yes. Émile Durkheim and Albert Einstein were alive at the same time for 38 years, from 1879 to 1917. Émile Durkheim was 20 when Albert Einstein was born.Albert Einstein was 38 when Émile Durkheim died, aged 59. Émile DurkheimFrench sociologistBorn 15 April 1858 · died 15 November 1917, aged 59Albert EinsteinGerman-born theoretical physicistBorn 14 March 1879 · died 18 April 1955, aged 76 Abraham LincolnKarl MarxÉmile DurkheimAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald ReaganDonald TrumpVladimir Putin Émile Durkheim and Albert Einstein 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.