On February 15, 1898, the USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, killing 266 sailors. William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer's newspapers immediately blamed Spain with the rallying cry 'Remember the Maine!' A Naval Court of Inquiry concluded it was an external mine, fueling war fever. However, Admiral Hyman Rickover's 1976 investigation and a 1998 National Geographic study concluded the explosion most likely resulted from an internal coal bunker fire igniting the ship's ammunition magazine. The rush to war was based on jingoistic propaganda, not evidence.
The USS Maine explosion blamed on Spain was likely an internal accident, but was exploited by yellow journalism to start the Spanish-American War
βThe explosion of the Maine was caused by an internal accident, not a Spanish mine. The war was started on false pretenses driven by yellow journalism.β
π The Receipts
βοΈ The Record, Side by Side
What they said vs. what the evidence shows
βThe Maine was destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine, which caused the partial explosion of two or more of the forward magazines.β
β US Naval Court of Inquiry (1898) Β· Mar 1898
π They Laughed At Us
βThe Maine was destroyed by the explosion of a submarine mine, which caused the partial explosion of two or more of the forward magazines.β
β³ The Vindication Timeline
From βcrazyβ to confirmed
The Claim Is Made
This is the moment they called it crazy.
Confirmed: They Were Right
The truth comes out. Officially documented.
Confirmed: They Were Right
The truth comes out. Officially documented.
π How Right We Were
The People Speak(56)
No one's said anything yet. Be the first to drop your take.
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