Karl Marx · Joseph John Thomson Were Karl Marx and Joseph John Thomson alive at the same time? Yes. Karl Marx and Joseph John Thomson were alive at the same time for 26 years, from 1856 to 1883. Karl Marx was 38 when Joseph John Thomson was born.Joseph John Thomson was 26 when Karl Marx died, aged 64. Karl MarxGerman-born philosopherBorn 5 May 1818 · died 14 March 1883, aged 64Joseph John ThomsonBritish physicistBorn 18 December 1856 · died 30 August 1940, aged 83 NapoleonAbraham LincolnKarl MarxJoseph John ThomsonMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald Reagan Karl Marx and Joseph John Thomson 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.