REMEMBER THE MAINE:

The Maine Blown Up: Terrible Explosion on Board the United States Battleship in Havana Harbor (NY Times, Feb. 15, 1898)

At 9:45 o'clock this evening a terrible explosion took place on board the United States battleship Maine in Havana Harbor.

Many persons were killed or wounded. All the boats of the Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII. are assisting.

As yet the cause of the explosion is not apparent. The wounded sailors of the Maine are unable to explain it. It is believed that the battleship is totally destroyed.

The explosion shook the whole city. The windows were broken in nearly all the houses.

The correspondent of the Associated Press says he has conversed with several of the wounded sailors and understands from them that the explosion took place while they were asleep, so that they can give no particulars as to the cause.

We used to be so much better at seizing phony pretexts to start just wars. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 15, 2003 8:06 AM