Wars are often notable points that punctuate the historical timeline.

It's a period of tragedy, drama, and often geopolitical changes.

However, there are some wars that have been all but forgotten from history.

One such war was a brief conflict that lasted less than four months and was fought

between the United States and Spain in the summer of 1898. Learn more about the Spanish

American War and how the impact of that war is still felt today on this episode of

everything everywhere daily. To understand why Spain and the United States went to war, you have to understand

where both countries were prior to the outbreak of war in 1898.

The 19th century was not so good for Spain.

Just a hundred years earlier, they had one of the largest

empires in the world. Then in the early 19th century it came under the control of

France and Napoleon Bonaparte and then proceeded to have several civil wars in the

following decades.

While there was turmoil back home, they progressively lost almost all of their colonies.

By 1898, the remains of the Spanish Empire consisted mostly of scattered islands throughout the world.

Some of these islands were still pretty significant.

They included Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and some smaller islands in the Pacific.

As the Spanish Empire unwound, the strength of the

Spanish military dwindled as well. As Spain spent the 19th century in decline,

the young United States was in attendance. It was growing in population and economic strength.

Moreover, the United States had become the dominant trading partner for many

former Spanish colonies, particularly the current Spanish colony of Cuba.

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