History & Celebrations Today – June 10

Celebrations Today – June 10

Holidays and observances

Celebrations Today – USA: June 10

National Ballpoint Pen Day
National Black Cow Day
National Herbs and Spices Day
National Iced Tea Day
National Rosé Day – Second  Saturday in June
National Alcoholics Anonymous Founders’ Day
National Herb and Spice Day

Today in US History: June 10

Guantánamo Bay

Havana harbor
Havana, Showing the Entrance to the Harbor and Inner Harbor;
Taken from Cabanas Fortress Showing Morro Castle on the Extreme Right-Hand
,
Havana, Cuba, copyright 1898.
Taking the Long View: Panoramic Photographs, 1851-1991

Flag at Guantanamo
Hoisting the Flag at Guantánamo,
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba,
Edward H. Hart, photographer,
June 12, 1898.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs by the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920

On June 10, 1898, U.S. Marines landed at Guantánamo Bay. For the next month, American troops fought a land war in Cuba that resulted in the end of Spanish colonial rule in the Western Hemisphere. Cuban rebels had gained the sympathy of the American public while the explosion and sinking of the U.S.S. Maine, widely blamed on the Spanish despite the absence of conclusive evidence, further boosted American nationalistic fervor.

Popular demand for intervention in the Cuban-Spanish conflict led Congress to pass resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Spanish armed forces from Cuba, authorizing U.S. aid to effect this, and promising American support for Cuban self-rule. Spain declared war against the United States on April 24, 1898, and the United States promptly replied with a counter-declaration.

Spanish Prisoners
Spanish Prisoners,
Guantánamo Bay, Cuba,
Edward H. Hart, photographer,
June 14, 1898.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: Photographs from the Detroit Publishing Company, 1880-1920

While Spain was unprepared to sustain a war in its distant territories, America was ready and eager to show off its military strength. The navy, under Admiral George Dewey’s command, easily broke Spanish control of the Philippine Islands in an engagement at Manila Bay on May 1. American attention then turned to the liberation of Cuba.

On July 17, just five weeks after the landing at Guantánamo Bay, the Spanish forces under Admiral Pascual Cervera surrendered at Santiago. In the Treaty of Paris, the United States gained sovereignty of Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Spain lost its colonial empire, and the United States emerged with greater influence in international affairs and an increased sense of national pride.

Learn more about the Spanish-American War in American Memory:

Troops making military road in front of Santiago
Troops Making Military Road in front of Santiago,
Thomas A. Edison, Inc., copyright 1898.
The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures

Today in History – June 10-External Links

Today’s Weather in History
Today in Earthquake History
This Day in Naval History
Today’s Document from the National Archives
Today’s Events, Births & Deaths –Wikipedia
Today in History by AP
On this Day -1950 to 2005 – Today’s Story–BBC
On This Day: The New York Times
This Day in History –History.com
Today in Canadian History – Canada Channel
History of Britain that took place On This Day
Russia in History –Russiapedia