TIMELINER

History's most surprising connections

Who Was Alive in 2012

54 of 328 historical figures were alive in 2012

Nelson Mandela
Nelson MandelaAge 94
1918–2013 · Politics & Leadership
Anti-apartheid hero, South African President
Stan Lee
Stan LeeAge 90
1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment
Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret ThatcherAge 87
1925–2013 · Politics & Leadership
The Iron Lady, British Prime Minister
B.B. King
B.B. KingAge 87
1925–2015 · Music
King of the Blues
Fidel Castro
Fidel CastroAge 86
1926–2016 · Politics & Leadership
Cuban revolutionary leader
Gabriel García Márquez
Gabriel García MárquezAge 85
1927–2014 · Literature
One Hundred Years of Solitude
James Watson
James WatsonAge 84
1928–present · Science & Invention
Co-discovered the structure of DNA
Maya Angelou
Maya AngelouAge 84
1928–2014 · Literature
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Vera Rubin
Vera RubinAge 84
1928–2016 · Science & Invention
Discovered evidence for dark matter
Noam Chomsky
Noam ChomskyAge 84
1928–present · Philosophy & Thought
Father of modern linguistics, political activist
Chinua Achebe
Chinua AchebeAge 82
1930–2013 · Literature
Things Fall Apart, father of modern African literature
Neil Armstrong
Neil ArmstrongAge 82
1930–2012 · Exploration
First human to walk on the Moon
Tu Youyou
Tu YouyouAge 82
1930–present · Science & Invention
Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine
Desmond Tutu
Desmond TutuAge 81
1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change
Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize
Toni Morrison
Toni MorrisonAge 81
1931–2019 · Literature
Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature
Yoko Ono
Yoko OnoAge 79
1933–present · Art
Avant-garde artist, peace activist
Wole Soyinka
Wole SoyinkaAge 78
1934–present · Literature
First African Nobel laureate in Literature
Jane Goodall
Jane GoodallAge 78
1934–present · Science & Invention
World's foremost expert on chimpanzees
Dalai Lama
Dalai LamaAge 77
1935–present · Philosophy & Thought
Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize
Woody Allen
Woody AllenAge 77
1935–present · Film & Entertainment
Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker
Pope Francis
Pope FrancisAge 76
1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought
First pope from the Americas
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford CoppolaAge 73
1939–present · Film & Entertainment
The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now
Pelé
PeléAge 72
1940–2022 · Sports
The King of Football, 3 World Cups
Bob Dylan
Bob DylanAge 71
1941–present · Music
Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad AliAge 70
1942–2016 · Sports
The Greatest, heavyweight boxing champion
Aretha Franklin
Aretha FranklinAge 70
1942–2018 · Music
Queen of Soul, Respect
Stephen Hawking
Stephen HawkingAge 70
1942–2018 · Science & Invention
Black holes, A Brief History of Time
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean KingAge 69
1943–present · Sports
Tennis champion, gender equality advocate
Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu KyiAge 67
1945–present · Activism & Social Change
Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate
Steven Spielberg
Steven SpielbergAge 66
1946–present · Film & Entertainment
Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director
David Bowie
David BowieAge 65
1947–2016 · Music
Ziggy Stardust, musical chameleon
Haruki Murakami
Haruki MurakamiAge 63
1949–present · Literature
Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction
Robin Williams
Robin WilliamsAge 61
1951–2014 · Film & Entertainment
Good Will Hunting, comedy genius
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah WinfreyAge 58
1954–present · Film & Entertainment
Media mogul, cultural icon
Ai Weiwei
Ai WeiweiAge 55
1957–present · Art
Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds
Prince
PrinceAge 54
1958–2016 · Music
Purple Rain, multi-instrumentalist genius
Rigoberta Menchú
Rigoberta MenchúAge 53
1959–present · Activism & Social Change
Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize
Wayne Gretzky
Wayne GretzkyAge 51
1961–present · Sports
The Great One, greatest ice hockey player
Barack Obama
Barack ObamaAge 51
1961–present · Politics & Leadership
44th US President, first African American president
Whitney Houston
Whitney HoustonAge 49
1963–2012 · Music
The Voice, I Will Always Love You
Michael Jordan
Michael JordanAge 49
1963–present · Sports
Greatest basketball player of all time
Jeff Bezos
Jeff BezosAge 48
1964–present · Business & Industry
Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur
Elon Musk
Elon MuskAge 41
1971–present · Business & Industry
Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur
Banksy
BanksyAge 38
1974–present · Art
Anonymous street artist, subversive murals
Kobe Bryant
Kobe BryantAge 34
1978–2020 · Sports
NBA legend, Mamba Mentality
Roger Federer
Roger FedererAge 31
1981–present · Sports
Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles
Beyoncé
BeyoncéAge 31
1981–present · Music
Global pop icon, Lemonade
Serena Williams
Serena WilliamsAge 31
1981–present · Sports
Greatest female tennis player of all time
Usain Bolt
Usain BoltAge 26
1986–present · Sports
Fastest man in history
Lionel Messi
Lionel MessiAge 25
1987–present · Sports
Greatest footballer of all time
Taylor Swift
Taylor SwiftAge 23
1989–present · Music
Best-selling music artist of the 2020s
Malala Yousafzai
Malala YousafzaiAge 15
1997–present · Activism & Social Change
Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate
Billie Eilish
Billie EilishAge 11
2001–present · Music
Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner
Greta Thunberg
Greta ThunbergAge 9
2003–present · Activism & Social Change
Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future
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