A bit of history I didn't learn much about in school, so I want to have it here as a resource.
On Feb. 15 1898 -
The Maine was stationed in Havana to show support for Cuba’s independence movement, and to protect U.S. business interests on the island. Even though Spain had agreed to grant Cuba some autonomy, relations between the United States and Spain were strained. The Maine was sitting quietly in the harbor when the massive explosion ripped through her at 9:40 p.m. Two hundred and sixty crewmembers were killed.
"... Congress issued a declaration of war against Spain in April, one day after Spain had declared war on the United States.
The Spanish-American War was short-lived. Spain sued for peace in July. Three hundred American troops were killed in battle, and 4,000 of them died of tropical diseases. With its defeat, Spain lost the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States, and Cuba gained its independence."
That's the information I found on Writer's Almanac yesterday. A war of 3 months duration, and what we decided as spoils were lots of tropical islands, where most of the inhabitants didn't speak English.
I focused on the numbers of deaths, from the crew on the Maine, to combatants, to those who succumed to tropical diseases. Not to have a numeric total, but just to suggest that this war, among many, should not have taken place.
I bring this up as we are aware that it's been a year since Russia invaded the Ukraine...over territory.
