Have a question? Need assistance? Use our online form to ask a librarian for help.
Chat with a librarian, Monday through Friday, 12-2 pm Eastern Time (except Federal Holidays).
Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Follow ChronAm by subscribing to email alerts and RSS feeds.
Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
Breaking residential windows and shaking the city of Havana to its core, a mysterious explosion sinks the USS Maine to the bottom of the Havana Harbor on the evening of February 15, 1898. The American "yellow press" blame Spain in banner headlines, outraging the public and inciting the rallying cry, "Remember the Maine! To hell with Spain!" Over 260 crew members perish in this event, which was a contributing factor in the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| January 24, 1898 | President William McKinley sends the battleship USS Maine to Havana to protect U.S. interests in Cuba. |
|---|---|
| February 15, 1898 | The Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, killing 266 men. |
| March 25, 1898 | An inquiry conducted by the U.S Navy concludes that the explosion was caused by the detonation of a mine under the ship. |
| April 19-20, 1898 | The U.S. Congress adopts a joint resolution for war with Spain and sends an ultimatum to the Spanish government. |
| April 21, 1898 | The U.S. orders a blockade of Cuba. |
| April 23, 1898 | Spain declares war on the United States, and the U.S. Congress responds on April 25 by issuing a formal declaration of war. |
