Ernst Mach · Albert Einstein Were Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein alive at the same time? Yes. Ernst Mach and Albert Einstein were alive at the same time for 36 years, from 1879 to 1916. Ernst Mach was 41 when Albert Einstein was born.Albert Einstein was 36 when Ernst Mach died, aged 78. Ernst MachAustrian physicistBorn 18 February 1838 · died 19 February 1916, aged 78Albert EinsteinGerman-born theoretical physicistBorn 14 March 1879 · died 18 April 1955, aged 76 Abraham LincolnKarl MarxErnst MachAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald ReaganDonald TrumpVladimir Putin Ernst Mach 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.