May 18, 1895: The Death of José Martí

May 19, 1895: José Martí is killed in the Battle of Dos Ríos dies in Río Cauto, Cuba. The journalist and poet, the leading hero of resistance to Spanish rule, was only 42 years old.

José Julián Martí Pérez was born on January 28, 1853 in the Cuban capital of Havana. He began his political activism at an early age. He traveled extensively in Spain, Latin America and the United States, raising awareness and support for the cause of Cuban independence. 

His unification of the Cuban émigré community, particularly in Florida, was crucial to the gaining of sympathy for the cause of Cuban independence from Spain. He wrote for numerous Latin American and American newspapers, and even founded some newspapers . One of those newspapers, Patria, was an important instrument in his campaign for Cuban independence.

After his death, many of his verses from the book Versos Sencillos (Simple Verses) were adapted to the patriotic song "Guantanamera" (Woman of Guantánamo), which has become a prominent representative song of Cuba. "The Apostle of Cuban Independence" wrote:

Yo soy un hombre sincero 

De donde crecen las palmas 

Yo soy un hombre sincero 

De donde crecen las palmas 

Y antes de morirme quiero 

Echar mis versos del alma. 

The English translation: "I am an honest man from where the palm grows, and before I die, I want to cast my verses from the soul."

The song was popularized in America by Pete Seeger, and is frequently adapted by English soccer fans, especially in the form of, "One (name of player), there's only one (name of player)!" Seeger, arguably the greatest music historian who ever lived, said that José Martí was a poet on a par with England's William Shakespeare and Russia's Alexander Pushkin. He remained an idol of the Cuban people, even after the Communist revolution of 1959.

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May 18, 1895 was a Saturday. The only professional sports league in business in North America at the time was baseball's National League, and these 6 games were played:

* The New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 7-4 at Exposition Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Brooklyn Bridegrooms lost to the Chicago Colts, 8-6 at West Side Park in Chicago. The Grooms became the Dodgers, and the Colts became the Cubs.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Cleveland Spiders, 9-7 at the 1891-1909 version of League Park in Cleveland.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Senators, 9-4 at League Park in Cincinnati. Crosley Field would be built in on the site in 1912.

* The Boston Beaneaters beat the Louisville Colonels, 1-0 at Eclipse Park in Louisville.

* And the Baltimore Orioles beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-7 at the 1893-1898 version of Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, which became Robison Field.

The Senators, Colonels, Orioles and Browns would be dropped from the NL after the 1899 season.