Wilhelm Ostwald · Adolf Hitler Were Wilhelm Ostwald and Adolf Hitler alive at the same time? Yes. Wilhelm Ostwald and Adolf Hitler were alive at the same time for 42 years, from 1889 to 1932. Wilhelm Ostwald was 35 when Adolf Hitler was born.Adolf Hitler was 42 when Wilhelm Ostwald died, aged 78. Wilhelm OstwaldBaltic German chemistBorn 2 September 1853 · died 4 April 1932, aged 78Adolf HitlerDictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945Born 20 April 1889 · died 30 April 1945, aged 56 Abraham LincolnKarl MarxWilhelm OstwaldMahatma GandhiVladimir LeninAlbert EinsteinAdolf HitlerRonald ReaganNelson Mandela Wilhelm Ostwald and Adolf Hitler 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.