Photo: Jim from Stevens Point, WI, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Born on August 24, 1922 in Brooklyn, New York, United States, Howard Zinn was a playwright, political scientist and historian. Howard Zinn died on January 27, 2010 at the age of 87. Education on record includes Thomas Jefferson High School and New York University. Awards on record include Thomas Merton Award (1991), Eugene V. Debs Award (1998) and honorary degree from Spelman College (2005). Credited works include A People's History of the United States.
My Take
Howard Zinn is one of those rare figures who genuinely changed how people see the world. A Brooklyn-born historian and World War II veteran, he wrote A People's History of the United States, a book that retold the national story from the bottom up, through the unnamed many rather than kings and generals. That single shift in vantage rewired the historical imagination of millions. He taught at Spelman and Boston University, wrote more than twenty books, and collected honors along the way, yet never retreated into the academy. What I respect most is that he stayed on the side of the powerless to the end, insisting we read history from below.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Howard Zinn
- Name (Japanese)
- ハワード・ジン
- Reading
- はわーど・じん
- Born
- August 24, 1922 – January 27, 2010
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Dog
- Origin
- Brooklyn, New York, United States
- Occupation
- playwright / political scientist / historian / writer / university teacher
2. Background
- High school
- Thomas Jefferson High School
- University
- New York University
Awards & achievements
- 1991 Thomas Merton Award
- 1998 Eugene V. Debs Award
- 2005 honorary degree from Spelman College
3. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | A People's History of the United States | — |
4. Links
- Official sitehttps://www.howardzinn.org/
- Wikipedia (English)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howard%20Zinn
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8F%E3%83%AF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%89%E3%83%BB%E3%82%B8%E3%83%B3
- Wikidatahttps://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q119546
5. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Howard Zinn born?
Born August 24, 1922.
When did Howard Zinn die?
Died January 27, 2010, aged 87.
Where was Howard Zinn from?
Howard Zinn was from Brooklyn, New York, United States.
What did Howard Zinn do?
Howard Zinn worked as playwright, political scientist, historian, writer, university teacher.
What was Howard Zinn known for?
Notable works include A People's History of the United States.
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