Remember the Maine?
In April 1898, few Americans could forget Maine, thanks to the newspapers of Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst. The anger they stirred up helped push the United States into war with Spain. On the night of February 15, 1898, as she lay at anchor in Havana Harbor, an explosion–possibly caused by sabotage–ripped through the ship, killing 267 officers and men. Inconclusive investigations by the Spanish government and U.S. Navy became irrelevant as popular American sentiment outpaced diplomacy. On April 25, the U.S. Congress declared war on Spain to the shouts of 'Remember the Maine and to Hell with Spain!' The true cause of the explosion that sank the battleship Maine remains a mystery.

This photo was taken in Bar Harbor, Maine, 1895.

Image: U. S. Naval Historical Center