Who Was Alive

Were Jesse Owens and Barack Obama alive at the same time?

Yes. Jesse Owens and Barack Obama were alive at the same time for 18 years, from 1961 to 1980.

Jesse Owens was 47 when Barack Obama was born.

Barack Obama was 18 when Jesse Owens died, aged 66.

Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete

Born 12 September 1913 · died 31 March 1980, aged 66

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. Jesse Owens
  5. Nelson Mandela
  6. Donald Trump
  7. Vladimir Putin
  8. Michael Jackson
  9. Barack Obama
Jesse Owens 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.