Howard Zinn

Howard Zinn
Zinn in 2009
Born	(1922-08-24)August 24, 1922 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 27, 2010(2010-01-27) (aged 87) Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Historian, educator, author, playwright
Spouse	Roslyn Shechter ​ ​ (m. 1944; died 2008)​
Children	2, including Jeff
Academic background
Education	New York University (BA) Columbia University (MA, PhD)
Thesis	Fiorello LaGuardia in Congress (1958)
Academic work
Institutions	Spelman College Boston University
Main interests	Civil rights, war and peace
Military career
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	U.S. Army Air Forces
Years of service	1941–1945
Rank	Lieutenant

Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010)^[1] was an American historian, playwright, philosopher, socialist intellectual and World War II veteran. He was chair of the history and social sciences department at Spelman College,^[2] and a political science professor at Boston University. Zinn wrote over 20 books, including his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United States in 1980. In 2007, he published a version of it for younger readers, A Young People's History of the United States.^[3]

Zinn described himself as "something of an anarchist, something of a socialist. Maybe a democratic socialist."^[4][5] He wrote extensively about the civil rights movement, the anti-war movement and labor history of the United States. His memoir, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train (Beacon Press, 1994), was also the title of a 2004 documentary about Zinn's life and work. Zinn died of a heart attack in 2010, at age 87.^[6]