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The Hartford Circus Fire – Today in History: July 6
In the summer of 1944 the Ringling Brothers and Barnum…
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Fire Ravages Cos Cob School – Today in History: July 29
At 1:59 a.m. on July 29, 1990, a smoke detector…
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Deadly Fire at Gulliver’s – Today in History: June 30
In the early morning hours of June 30, 1974, a…
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Triangle Shirtwaist Fire: Connecticut Lessons from a Tragedy
While the Triangle Shirtwaist fire in New York City is one of the most famous tragedies behind the organized labor movement, Connecticut had its share of equally dangerous work environments in the early 20th century. Many of them inspired Connecticut Workers to organize.
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Six Cities Respond to 1902 Waterbury Fire – Who Knew?
…that the fire, which swept through Waterbury on a stormy…
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Hartford Circus Fire: “The Tent’s on Fire!” – Who Knew?
…that the Hartford Circus Fire may be the worst human-caused…
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The White Mountain Express Derails in Greenwich
On July 16, 1908, the gong of the ambulances on Greenwich Avenue broadcast one of the worst accidents on the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad.
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An Artist’s Life in Hartford: The Early Career of Dwight Tryon
Hartford native Dwight Tryon njoyed a long, successful career as a landscape painter and teacher with studios in New York City and South Dartmouth, Massachusetts.
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“Appalling Calamity”: Loss of the Steamboat Lexington – Today in History: January 13, 1840
On January 13, 1840, over 150 people perished on Long Island Sound when the steamboat Lexington caught fire. Only four survived the “Appalling Calamity,” as newspapers across the country described it.
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The Connecticut Valley Authority That Never Was
In the early 20th century, supporters of the New Deal tried to recreate the Tennessee Valley Authority in the Connecticut River Valley.
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The Hurricane of 1938 Rocks Connecticut
Together the combination of chance and human error produced the most destructive hurricane in Connecticut’s history.
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The Great Hurricane of 1938 – Today in History: September 21
The most devastating hurricane in New England history.
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Avon Industry: From Underground to Outerspace
The Climax Fuse Company manufactured safety fuse, a type of…
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Eighteen-hundred-and-froze-to-death: 1816, The Year Without a Summer
Sunspots and volcanic eruptions led to cooler than normal temperatures in the summer of 1816. The cold weather decimated harvests and encouraged many residents to head West into the area of modern Ohio.
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Health Department Fights Unseen Enemies During World War I
How Greenwich faced the menace of two highly contagious and potentially deadly diseases: polio and Spanish Influenza.
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Misread Signal Leads to Deadly South Norwalk Train Wreck – Who Knew?
…that by 1853, the era of steamboat transportation had largely…
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The British Raid on Essex
On a cold April night in 1814 a British raiding force rowed six miles up the Connecticut River to burn the privateers of Essex, then known as Pettipaug. The raiders torched 27 ships and took or destroyed thousands of dollars’ in other supplies.
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Mianus River Bridge Collapses – Today in History: June 28
Not long after midnight on June 28, 1983, a section…
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The Civil War Commences: Connecticut’s Involvement in the Civil War
Diaries, letters, and other documents provide firsthand witness to the sacrifices of Connecticut men and women during the years of bloody conflict.
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Ebenezer Bassett’s Historic Journey
This educator, activist, and associate of Frederick Douglass served the US as its first African American ambassador.
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World-renowned Maker of Axes: The Collins Company of Canton
The New England factory town of Collinsville, which can still be toured today, once supplied the world with axes, machetes, and other edge tools.
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