How Old Is Wole Soyinka?

Radioactivity, first woman Nobel laureate

Wole Soyinka was 0 years old

1936

Rudyard Kipling

1865–1936

Author of The Jungle Book, Nobel laureate

Wole Soyinka was 2 years old

1936

Maxim Gorky

1868–1936

Russian writer of The Lower Depths

Wole Soyinka was 2 years old

1937

John D. Rockefeller

1839–1937

Standard Oil tycoon, among the richest Americans in history

1937

Guglielmo Marconi

1874–1937

Pioneer of long-distance radio

1937

Amelia Earhart

1897–1937

First woman to fly solo across the Atlantic

1937

Ernest Rutherford

1871–1937

Father of nuclear physics

1938

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

1881–1938

Founder and first president of modern Turkey

Wole Soyinka was 4 years old

1939

Sigmund Freud

1856–1939

Wole Soyinka was 5 years old

Father of psychoanalysis

1940

Wole Soyinka was 6 years old

1940

Leon Trotsky

1879–1940

Russian revolutionary, founder of the Red Army

Wole Soyinka was 6 years old

1941

Rabindranath Tagore

1861–1941

First non-European Nobel laureate in Literature

Wole Soyinka was 7 years old

1941

Virginia Woolf

1882–1941

Mrs Dalloway, modernist pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 7 years old

1941

James Joyce

1882–1941

Ulysses, literary revolutionary

Wole Soyinka was 7 years old

1943

Nikola Tesla

1856–1943

AC electricity, visionary inventor

Wole Soyinka was 9 years old

1943

David Hilbert

1862–1943

German mathematician of Hilbert's problems

Wole Soyinka was 9 years old

1944

Wole Soyinka was 10 years old

1944

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

1900–1944

Aviator and author of The Little Prince

Wole Soyinka was 10 years old

1945

Franklin D. Roosevelt

1882–1945

32nd US President, New Deal, WWII leader

1945

Anne Frank

1929–1945

Diary of a Young Girl, Holocaust victim

1945

Adolf Hitler

1889–1945

Nazi dictator of Germany 1933–1945

1945

Benito Mussolini

1883–1945

Fascist dictator of Italy 1922–1943

1946

H.G. Wells

1866–1946

The War of the Worlds, science fiction pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 12 years old

1946

John Maynard Keynes

1883–1946

Economist who founded Keynesian economics

Wole Soyinka was 12 years old

1947

Henry Ford

1863–1947

Assembly line, Model T automobile

Wole Soyinka was 13 years old

1947

Max Planck

1858–1947

Wole Soyinka was 13 years old

Father of quantum theory

1948

Mahatma Gandhi

1869–1948

Nonviolent independence leader of India

Wole Soyinka was 14 years old

1948

Orville Wright

1871–1948

Co-inventor of the airplane

Wole Soyinka was 14 years old

1948

Babe Ruth

1895–1948

Baseball's Sultan of Swat

Wole Soyinka was 14 years old

1950

Wole Soyinka was 16 years old

1950

George Bernard Shaw

1856–1950

Irish playwright of Pygmalion

Wole Soyinka was 16 years old

1951

Ludwig Wittgenstein

1889–1951

Philosopher of logic and language

Wole Soyinka was 17 years old

1952

Eva Perón

1919–1952

Argentina's beloved Evita

Wole Soyinka was 18 years old

1953

Joseph Stalin

1878–1953

Leader of the Soviet Union 1924–1953

Wole Soyinka was 19 years old

1954

Enrico Fermi

1901–1954

Father of the nuclear age, first nuclear reactor

1954

Frida Kahlo

1907–1954

Self-portraits, Mexican cultural icon

1954

Alan Turing

1912–1954

Father of computer science, codebreaker

1954

Henri Matisse

1869–1954

Leader of Fauvism, master of color and cut-outs

1955

Albert Einstein

1879–1955

Theory of relativity, E=mc²

1955

Alexander Fleming

1881–1955

Discovered penicillin

1955

James Dean

1931–1955

Rebel Without a Cause, died at 24

1955

Thomas Mann

1875–1955

German novelist of The Magic Mountain

1956

Jackson Pollock

1912–1956

Action painting, abstract expressionism

Wole Soyinka was 22 years old

1957

Diego Rivera

1886–1957

Mexican muralist, political artist

Wole Soyinka was 23 years old

1957

Humphrey Bogart

1899–1957

Casablanca, Hollywood icon

Wole Soyinka was 23 years old

1958

Rosalind Franklin

1920–1958

Key to discovering DNA's structure

Wole Soyinka was 24 years old

1959

Billie Holiday

1915–1959

Strange Fruit, jazz vocal legend

Wole Soyinka was 25 years old

1959

Frank Lloyd Wright

1867–1959

American architect of Fallingwater

Wole Soyinka was 25 years old

1960

Albert Camus

1913–1960

Author of The Stranger, Nobel laureate

Wole Soyinka was 26 years old

1961

Carl Jung

1875–1961

Analytical psychology, archetypes

1961

Erwin Schrödinger

1887–1961

Schrödinger's cat, wave equation

1961

Ernest Hemingway

1899–1961

The Old Man and the Sea, Nobel laureate

1961

Patrice Lumumba

1925–1961

First Prime Minister of independent Congo

1962

Niels Bohr

1885–1962

Atomic model, quantum mechanics pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 28 years old

1962

Marilyn Monroe

1926–1962

Hollywood icon, cultural legend

Wole Soyinka was 28 years old

1962

Eleanor Roosevelt

1884–1962

First Lady, UN delegate, human rights champion

Wole Soyinka was 28 years old

1963

John F. Kennedy

1917–1963

35th US President, Space Race

1963

Sylvia Plath

1932–1963

The Bell Jar, confessional poetry

1963

Aldous Huxley

1894–1963

Author of the dystopian novel Brave New World

1963

C. S. Lewis

1898–1963

Author of The Chronicles of Narnia

1964

Rachel Carson

1907–1964

Silent Spring, environmental movement

Wole Soyinka was 30 years old

1964

Jawaharlal Nehru

1889–1964

First Prime Minister of independent India

Wole Soyinka was 30 years old

1965

Winston Churchill

1874–1965

British PM who led WWII effort

1965

T. S. Eliot

1888–1965

The Waste Land, Nobel-winning modernist poet

1965

Malcolm X

1925–1965

Civil rights leader and Nation of Islam spokesman

1965

Albert Schweitzer

1875–1965

Nobel Peace Prize physician, theologian and organist

1965

Le Corbusier

1887–1965

Pioneer of modern architecture

1966

Buster Keaton

1895–1966

Silent film comedian, The General

Wole Soyinka was 32 years old

1966

Walt Disney

1901–1966

Created Mickey Mouse, Disney empire

Wole Soyinka was 32 years old

1967

Robert Oppenheimer

1904–1967

Father of the atomic bomb

Wole Soyinka was 33 years old

1967

Che Guevara

1928–1967

Argentine revolutionary icon

Wole Soyinka was 33 years old

1968

Lise Meitner

1878–1968

Discovered nuclear fission, overlooked for Nobel

1968

Martin Luther King Jr.

1929–1968

"I Have a Dream," civil rights leader

1968

1968

Helen Keller

1880–1968

Deafblind author and activist, The Story of My Life

1969

Ho Chi Minh

1890–1969

Revolutionary leader of Vietnam

Wole Soyinka was 35 years old

1969

Dwight D. Eisenhower

1890–1969

WWII Supreme Commander, 34th US President

Wole Soyinka was 35 years old

1970

Charles de Gaulle

1890–1970

Leader of Free France, French President

1970

Jimi Hendrix

1942–1970

Greatest electric guitarist of all time

1970

Janis Joplin

1943–1970

Piece of My Heart, rock and blues

1970

Bertrand Russell

1872–1970

Logician, philosopher and Nobel laureate

1971

Igor Stravinsky

1882–1971

The Rite of Spring, modern classical

1971

Coco Chanel

1883–1971

Fashion icon, Chanel No. 5

1971

Louis Armstrong

1901–1971

What a Wonderful World, jazz trumpet

1971

Jim Morrison

1943–1971

The Doors, Light My Fire

1971

Nikita Khrushchev

1894–1971

Soviet leader during the Cuban Missile Crisis

1972

Kwame Nkrumah

1909–1972

Wole Soyinka was 38 years old

First President of Ghana

1972

Jackie Robinson

1919–1972

Broke baseball's color barrier

Wole Soyinka was 38 years old

1972

Harry S. Truman

1884–1972

33rd US president at the end of World War II

Wole Soyinka was 38 years old

1973

Pablo Picasso

1881–1973

Cubism, Guernica, most prolific artist

1973

J.R.R. Tolkien

1892–1973

The Lord of the Rings, Middle-earth

1973

Bruce Lee

1940–1973

Martial arts legend, Enter the Dragon

1973

Lyndon B. Johnson

1908–1973

36th US president, signed the Civil Rights Act

1973

Pablo Neruda

1904–1973

Chilean poet and Nobel laureate

1974

Duke Ellington

1899–1974

Jazz legend, big band pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 40 years old

1975

Haile Selassie

1892–1975

Emperor of Ethiopia, Rastafari symbol

Wole Soyinka was 41 years old

1975

Hannah Arendt

1906–1975

The Banality of Evil, political theorist

Wole Soyinka was 41 years old

1975

Chiang Kai-shek

1887–1975

Nationalist leader of the Republic of China

Wole Soyinka was 41 years old

1976

Agatha Christie

1890–1976

Best-selling mystery novelist ever

Wole Soyinka was 42 years old

1976

Mao Zedong

1893–1976

Founder of the People's Republic of China

Wole Soyinka was 42 years old

1976

Werner Heisenberg

1901–1976

Uncertainty principle, quantum mechanics pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 42 years old

1977

Charlie Chaplin

1889–1977

The Tramp, silent film legend

Wole Soyinka was 43 years old

1977

Elvis Presley

1935–1977

The King of Rock and Roll

Wole Soyinka was 43 years old

1978

Golda Meir

1898–1978

Fourth Prime Minister of Israel

Wole Soyinka was 44 years old

1980

Alfred Hitchcock

1899–1980

Master of Suspense — Psycho, Vertigo

1980

Jean-Paul Sartre

1905–1980

Existentialism, declined the Nobel Prize

1980

Jesse Owens

1913–1980

4 gold medals at 1936 Berlin Olympics

1980

1981

Bob Marley

1945–1981

Wole Soyinka was 47 years old

Reggae icon, One Love

1982

Grace Kelly

1929–1982

Hollywood star turned Princess of Monaco

Wole Soyinka was 48 years old

1982

Ingrid Bergman

1915–1982

Star of Casablanca, three-time Academy Award winner

Wole Soyinka was 48 years old

1984

Indira Gandhi

1917–1984

First female Prime Minister of India

Wole Soyinka was 50 years old

1985

Orson Welles

1915–1985

Citizen Kane, War of the Worlds broadcast

Wole Soyinka was 51 years old

1986

Georgia O'Keeffe

1887–1986

Mother of American modernism

Wole Soyinka was 52 years old

1986

Jorge Luis Borges

1899–1986

Labyrinths, Ficciones, master of the short story

Wole Soyinka was 52 years old

1986

Simone de Beauvoir

1908–1986

The Second Sex, feminist existentialist

Wole Soyinka was 52 years old

1987

Andy Warhol

1928–1987

Pop art icon, Campbell's Soup Cans

Wole Soyinka was 53 years old

1987

James Baldwin

1924–1987

Go Tell It on the Mountain, civil rights essayist

Wole Soyinka was 53 years old

1988

Richard Feynman

1918–1988

Quantum electrodynamics, bongo-playing physicist

Wole Soyinka was 54 years old

1988

Jean-Michel Basquiat

1960–1988

Neo-expressionist street art icon

Wole Soyinka was 54 years old

1989

Hirohito

1901–1989

Emperor of Japan during WWII

Wole Soyinka was 55 years old

1989

Salvador Dalí

1904–1989

The Persistence of Memory, surrealist

Wole Soyinka was 55 years old

1990

Roald Dahl

1916–1990

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Wole Soyinka was 56 years old

1990

Keith Haring

1958–1990

Pop art and graffiti-inspired works

Wole Soyinka was 56 years old

1991

Freddie Mercury

1946–1991

Wole Soyinka was 57 years old

Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody

1992

Marlene Dietrich

1901–1992

German-American film star and singer

Wole Soyinka was 58 years old

1993

Audrey Hepburn

1929–1993

Breakfast at Tiffany's, humanitarian

Wole Soyinka was 59 years old

1994

Dorothy Hodgkin

1910–1994

Nobel Prize for X-ray crystallography of biochemical substances

Wole Soyinka was 60 years old

1994

Kurt Cobain

1967–1994

Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit

Wole Soyinka was 60 years old

1994

Richard Nixon

1913–1994

37th US president, resigned after Watergate

Wole Soyinka was 60 years old

1996

Ella Fitzgerald

1917–1996

First Lady of Song, jazz icon

Wole Soyinka was 62 years old

1996

Carl Sagan

1934–1996

Cosmos, pale blue dot, science communicator

Wole Soyinka was 62 years old

1996

Tupac Shakur

1971–1996

Influential rapper, Changes

Wole Soyinka was 62 years old

1997

Mother Teresa

1910–1997

Missionary of Charity in Calcutta

1997

Jacques Cousteau

1910–1997

Ocean explorer, pioneered scuba diving

1997

Princess Diana

1961–1997

People's Princess, humanitarian

1997

Toshiro Mifune

1920–1997

Star of Seven Samurai, Rashomon and Yojimbo

1998

Akira Kurosawa

1910–1998

Seven Samurai, master filmmaker

Wole Soyinka was 64 years old

1998

Frank Sinatra

1915–1998

Wole Soyinka was 64 years old

My Way, Ol' Blue Eyes

1999

Stanley Kubrick

1928–1999

2001: A Space Odyssey, perfectionist auteur

Wole Soyinka was 65 years old

2000

Hedy Lamarr

1914–2000

Hollywood star who co-invented frequency hopping

Wole Soyinka was 66 years old

2001

George Harrison

1943–2001

The Beatles, My Sweet Lord

Wole Soyinka was 67 years old

2003

Bob Hope

1903–2003

Comedian and entertainer for nearly 80 years

Wole Soyinka was 69 years old

2003

Johnny Cash

1932–2003

The Man in Black, country music legend

Wole Soyinka was 69 years old

2004

Marlon Brando

1924–2004

The Godfather, method acting pioneer

Wole Soyinka was 70 years old

2004

Ray Charles

1930–2004

The Genius of Soul, Georgia On My Mind

Wole Soyinka was 70 years old

2004

Ronald Reagan

1911–2004

40th US president, former Hollywood actor

Wole Soyinka was 70 years old

2005

Rosa Parks

1913–2005

Mother of the civil rights movement

Wole Soyinka was 71 years old

2005

Pope John Paul II

1920–2005

First Polish pope, led the Catholic Church 1978–2005

Wole Soyinka was 71 years old

2006

Naguib Mahfouz

1911–2006

Egyptian novelist and Nobel laureate

Wole Soyinka was 72 years old

2006

Saddam Hussein

1937–2006

President of Iraq 1979–2003

Wole Soyinka was 72 years old

2006

Gerald Ford

1913–2006

38th President of the United States

Wole Soyinka was 72 years old

2007

Ingmar Bergman

1918–2007

The Seventh Seal, master of art cinema

Wole Soyinka was 73 years old

2008

Edmund Hillary

1919–2008

First to summit Mount Everest

Wole Soyinka was 74 years old

2008

Heath Ledger

1979–2008

Wole Soyinka was 74 years old

The Dark Knight's Joker

2009

Michael Jackson

1958–2009

Wole Soyinka was 75 years old

King of Pop, Thriller

2011

Elizabeth Taylor

1932–2011

Cleopatra, golden age Hollywood star

2011

Steve Jobs

1955–2011

Co-founded Apple, changed technology

2011

Amy Winehouse

1983–2011

Back to Black, soulful voice

2011

Wangari Maathai

1940–2011

Kenyan environmentalist, first African woman Nobel laureate

2011

Muammar Gaddafi

1942–2011

Ruler of Libya 1969–2011

2011

Osama bin Laden

1957–2011

Founder of al-Qaeda

2012

Neil Armstrong

1930–2012

First human to walk on the Moon

Wole Soyinka was 78 years old

2012

Whitney Houston

1963–2012

The Voice, I Will Always Love You

Wole Soyinka was 78 years old

2013

Nelson Mandela

1918–2013

Anti-apartheid hero, South African President

2013

Margaret Thatcher

1925–2013

The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister

2013

Chinua Achebe

1930–2013

Things Fall Apart, landmark of modern African literature

2013

Hugo Chávez

1954–2013

President of Venezuela 1999–2013

2014

Gabriel García Márquez

1927–2014

One Hundred Years of Solitude

Wole Soyinka was 80 years old

2014

Maya Angelou

1928–2014

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Wole Soyinka was 80 years old

2014

Robin Williams

1951–2014

Good Will Hunting, comedy genius

Wole Soyinka was 80 years old

2015

Wole Soyinka was 81 years old

2016

Fidel Castro

1926–2016

Cuban revolutionary leader

2016

Vera Rubin

1928–2016

Discovered evidence for dark matter

2016

Muhammad Ali

1942–2016

The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion

2016

David Bowie

1947–2016

Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon

2016

Prince

1958–2016

Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius

2018

Stan Lee

1922–2018

Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel

2018

Aretha Franklin

1942–2018

Queen of Soul, Respect

2018

Stephen Hawking

1942–2018

Black holes, A Brief History of Time

2018

Kofi Annan

1938–2018

UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace laureate

2018

George H. W. Bush

1924–2018

41st President of the United States

2019

Toni Morrison

1931–2019

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Wole Soyinka was 85 years old

2020

Kobe Bryant

1978–2020

NBA legend, Mamba Mentality

Wole Soyinka was 86 years old

2020

Diego Maradona

1960–2020

Argentine football legend, 1986 World Cup winner

Wole Soyinka was 86 years old

2021

Desmond Tutu

1931–2021

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Wole Soyinka was 87 years old

2022

Pelé

1940–2022

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

2022

Elizabeth II

1926–2022

Queen of the United Kingdom for 70 years

2022

Mikhail Gorbachev

1931–2022

Last leader of the Soviet Union

2022

Pope Benedict XVI

1927–2022

Pope from 2005 until his resignation in 2013

2024

Jimmy Carter

1924–2024

39th US president and Nobel Peace laureate

Wole Soyinka was 90 years old

2025

James Watson

1928–2025

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Wole Soyinka was 91 years old

2025

Jane Goodall

1934–2025

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Wole Soyinka was 91 years old

2025

Pope Francis

1936–2025