Cuba History

Cuba was discovered and claimed for Spain by Christopher Columbus in October of 1492. Havana became an important commercial seaport between Spain and its colonies in the Western Hemisphere. Two major uprisings (1868 & 1895) against the Spanish military on the island eventually led to independence. The U.S. entered the later conflict on the side of the revolutionaries when the U.S.S. Maine, anchored in Havana harbor was sunk, precipitating the Spanish-American War in February of 1898. In December of 1898 Spain relinquished its rights to Cuba in the Treaty of Paris. Three years of U.S. administration followed and independence was proclaimed in 1902. A communist revolution, led by Fidel Castro, took control in 1959.