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.
Education	New York University (BA) Columbia University (MA, PhD)
Occupation(s)	Historian, educator, author, playwright
Spouse	Roslyn Shechter ​ ​ (m. 1944; died 2008)​
Children	2, including Jeff
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]