Famous People From History That Are Surprisingly Still Alive Today

History is made on a daily basis.

Indeed, there is little more exciting than having witnessed the accomplishments of people like Barack Obama, Stacey Abrams, and Greta Thunberg knowing that they have firmly reserved a space for themselves in history books.

Of course, most of the people who paved the way to make the world what it is today have long since passed away.

Not all of them, though!

It may surprise you to learn that there are people who made an indelible impression on history who are still much alive today.

Some of whom even continue to make a difference to this very day


Redditor enginearz was eager to hear about historical figures people were surprised to learn were still alive, leading them to ask:

"What famous person from history is still alive?"

Forever Leaving His Name In Science

"Yuri Oganessian."

"He's the only currently living man with an element on the periodic table named after him."- snowflake247

Quite The Story To Tell

"Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha."

"Last human to hold the title of Tsar, as leader of the Kingdom of Bulgaria."

"He was exiled along with his family when the Soviets invaded Bulgaria in 1944."

"In 1990, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Simeon returned from exile to Bulgaria and July 2001, was democratically elected prime minister."

"The private citizen is now 85."- DirectionNew5328

Making Nature Cool For Decades

"Jane Goodall."

"David Attenborough."- random_username_96

You Can Do It Uoftartsci GIF by U of T Faculty of Arts & ScienceGiphy

The Fought For Freedom And Justice

"John Hemingway."

"The last surviving airman of the battle of Britain."

"He is 103 years old."

"Ivan Martynushkin."

"He helped with the liberation of Auschwitz."

"He is 99 years old."

"Benjamin Ferencz."

"He was a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials."

"He is 102 years old."- Ashtar-the-Squid

"Traute Lafrenz."

"The last living member of the german anti-nazi resistance group 'White Rose".

"Most well-known members were the sibling Sophie and Hans Scholl, who were executed by the Nazis when they were identified."- ChrisTinnef

The One Who Made One Giant Leap For Mankind

"Buzz Aldrin, and I’m not even American."- mukaltin

State Of The Union Salute GIF by MSNBCGiphy

Opening Doors For So Many Others

"Ruby Bridges."

"She was one of the first black kids to go to an all-white school."

"There is a famous picture of that first day."- mumwifealcoholic

He Continues To Surprise Us

"Ozzy Osbourne."- CaptinDerpI

Admirably Defying So Many Odds

"Jimmy Carter."

"98 years old."- Back2Bach

Jimmy Carter Drilling GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphy

We've Still Got Two Out Of Four

"Paul and Ringo"- HMKingHenryIX

Inching Close To The Big One Double Oh...

"Kissinger."- LucyVialli

And Still Practically Perfect In Every Way

"Julie Andrews."- aslrules

julie andrews snap GIFGiphy

Who Could Forget About Dick Van Dyke ?!?!?!?!

"Everyone just forgetting about Dick Van Dyke, he's like 97 and still going."

"If you've never heard of him, he played in Marry Poppins, along with a bunch more movies"- Longjumping_Drag2752

And Still Stunning

"Sophia Loren is still kicking."- The_REAL_McWeasel

Continuing To Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

"William Shatner doesn't look it but that dude is in his 90s wtf."- flubberF*ck

William Shatner Fun GIF by Shark WeekGiphy

Perhaps what's most admirable, is that even when these astonishing people do eventually pass, they will continue to live on and change the world with the remarkable work they did.

Woman celebrating her birthday with silver balloons that say, "24"
Photo by Ana Tavares on Unsplash

Once people graduate from high school, a lot of them know what they want to do career-wise, but they may not totally know where they want to go or who they want to be.

And while the twenties are the time to figure that out, there are some ways that people can really mess up their future if they aren't careful about how they spend their time.

Keep reading...Show less

We get it, we're all super busy, and sometimes it's really hard to get all the chores done around work and living our lives.

But there are appliances we can have in our home, like a dishwasher, that can make those chores much more convenient.

However, they could really ruin our day, too, if we use them incorrectly.

Keep reading...Show less
Person aiming a remote at a TV
Erik Mclean/Unsplash

TV enthusiasts could argue that shows on television are a more compelling and superior form for media entertainment.

A story arc can be played out to its fullest potential without shortchanging the audience with a two-and-a-half hour duration of a film.

While movies are in their own category, TV shows–including short miniseries–can engage an audience over a span of seasons as long as there is more stories to tell.

Some TV shows break away from the formula and can feature anthology–or standalone–episodes that are impressive in their own right.

Keep reading...Show less
Woman scratching head
Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Everyone has insecurities.

Be it speaking in public, wearing beach attire, or even one's profession, very few people don't have at least one topic of conversation that is bound to make them red in the face.

Some people are pretty adept at hiding their discomfort and can manage to persevere through their phobias with their dignity intact.

Others are not so lucky and often go to great lengths to hide their insecurities, only to make them even more apparent.

Keep reading...Show less