Who Was Alive

Were Thomas à Kempis and Christopher Columbus alive at the same time?

Yes. Thomas à Kempis and Christopher Columbus were alive at the same time for 19 or 20 years, from 1451 to 1471.

Christopher Columbus was 19 or 20 when Thomas à Kempis died.

Thomas à Kempis

Thomas à Kempis

German canon

Born 1377–1383 · died 25 July 1471

Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus

Italian explorer

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

  1. Thomas à Kempis, c. 1381 – 1471
  2. Joan of Arc, c. 1412 – 1431
  3. Christopher Columbus, 1451 – 1506
  4. Leonardo da Vinci, 1452 – 1519
  5. Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469 – 1527
  6. Albrecht Dürer, 1471 – 1528
  7. Nicolaus Copernicus, 1473 – 1543
  8. Michelangelo, 1475 – 1564
  9. Martin Luther, 1483 – 1546

Thomas à Kempis and Christopher Columbus in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries; dashed lines mark world events. Drag across, or use the arrow keys, to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.

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Events both lived through

Where Thomas à Kempis and Christopher Columbus were born

Thomas à Kempis and Christopher Columbus are labelled, with the contemporaries on the timeline. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (9 of 9 placed); tap one to open that person.
Birthplaces as a list