September 1, 1937

Allen Weinstein (September 1, 1937 to June 18, 2015) American historian, taught at Georgetown and later was the head of the National Archives and Records Administration. Among his less controversial books is his co-authoring of Freedom and crisis; an American history (1974).

Here we find a cat reference in the account of the Salem witchcraft trials. Tituba, the authors state, in her testimony "included sketches of familiars used by Sarah Good, such as a yellow bird and a cat."

Weinstein is the son of immigrants and his career reminds us of the view of our country as a beacon of freedom. According to his New York Times obituary

His father, Samuel, who operated a series of delicatessens in the Bronx and Queens, had emigrated from Lithuania. His mother, the former Sarah Popkov, came from a town near Minsk.

After graduating from DeWitt Clinton High School, Mr. Weinstein earned a bachelor of arts degree from City College. At Yale, he received a master’s degree and, in 1967, a doctorate, in American studies.
The Washington Post has a more nuanced obituary, and they mention:

...[He] became, ...., the “advance team in America” for Yeltsin, the Russian reformist leader. When hard-liners attempted a coup against Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991, Yeltsin and his camp [trapped in government buildings] used Dr. Weinstein as an intermediary in the United States, sending him faxes and other notifications of the news.
“It is military coup,” read the first. “Tanks are everywhere.”
Our details are meant to show the drama in the life of an American historian, and Dr. Weinstein is a good example of this.