The American battleship Maine exploded while sitting at anchor in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. While the question of responsibility for the explosion was never really settled, many in the U.S. assumed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship’s destruction. The Spanish-American War was declared in April, and “Remember the Maine!” is the slogan that has been associated with it ever since. February 15 was observed for many years by the U.S. Navy and by Spanish-American War veterans’ associations in Havana and the U.S. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary