Today In History

In 1898: The U.S. battleship Maine blew up in Havana harbor, killing more than 260 crew members. The unexplained explosion brought the United States closer to war with Spain over the issue of Cuban independence.

In 1933: President-elect Roosevelt escaped an assassination attempt in Miami that claimed the life of Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.

In 1989: The Soviet Union announced that the last of its troops had left Afghanistan, after more than nine years of military intervention.