The USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor on February 15, 1898, killing over 260 American crew members. While blamed on a Spanish mine, modern investigations suggest an internal coal bunker fire triggered the blast.
The event spurred public and media demand for war, resulting in the United States Congress declaring war on Spain on April 25, 1898, stating that a de facto state of war had existed since April 21, 1898. More