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The Free Consent of the People: Thomas Hooker and the Fundamental Orders
Government formed with the consent of the people was a radical idea in the age of nations ruled by monarchs, emperors, and tsars.
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Colonial Revival Movement Sought Stability during Time of Change
The Colonial Revival was national in its scope, but as a state rich in historic resources, Connecticut became inextricably linked with the movement.
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Mary Hall: Connecticut’s First Female Attorney
Writer and suffragist Mary Hall studied law under John Hooker and became Connecticut’s first female attorney.
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Hometown Hero: Wallingford Remembers Stanley Budleski
Stanley Budleski was the first serviceman from Yalesville to be killed in World War II.
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Josephine Bennett: Hartford’s City Mother
By linking disparate social and political movements of the early 20th century, activist Josephine Bennett was “intersectional” well before the term was invented.
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Cornerstone Set – Today in History: May 25
On May 25, 1909, the cornerstone was laid for the new State Library and Supreme Court building in Hartford.
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Connecticut’s Capitol Building – Inside and Out
The Connecticut State Capitol was built at a time when Civil War commemoration was gaining popularity.
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Stealth Attack from Guilford Launched – Today in History: May 23
On May 23, 1777, Colonel Return Jonathan Meigs launched a lightning raid from Sachem Head in Guilford on Sag Harbor.
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Setting Speed Limits – Today in History: May 21
On May 21, 1901, Connecticut passed An Act Regulating the Speed of Motor Vehicles.
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Metal Homes for the Atomic Age
Once touted as the house “America has been waiting for,” only a few post-WWII Lustron steel houses remain in Connecticut.
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Dark Day – Today in History: May 19
On May 19, 1780, a strange darkness fell over much of New England. The darkness that enveloped Connecticut remained there for a day and a half.
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New-Gate Prison Breakout – Today in History: May 18
On May 18, 1781, the largest mass breakout in the history of New-Gate Prison took place.
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The Comstock Bridge Brings East Hampton Residents Together
Over the Salmon River, the Comstock Bridge served as part of the main road between Colchester and Middletown for much of its existence.
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Largest Earthquake in Connecticut – Today in History: May 16
On May 16, 1791, the largest earthquake to shake Connecticut took place in Moodus, an area known for earthquake activity.
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The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, Hartford
Situated in Bushnell Park, the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch honors the more than 4,000 Hartford men who fought for the Union during the Civil War.
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Albert Pope Pioneered Bicycles for Women
Hartford-based inventor Albert Pope saw his first bicycle at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and was so impressed that he went to Europe to study how bicycles were made.
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Jacob Schick Invents the Electric Razor – Today in History: May 13
On May 13, 1930, Colonel Jacob Schick obtained patent No. 1,757,978 for his dry electric shaver.
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Exploring Early Connecticut Mapmaking
Renderings of the terrain served a variety of purposes, from supporting colonists’ land claims as well as tribal counterclaims to settling religious disputes and even adorning the homes of the well-off.
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Katharine Hepburn’s Love Affair (with Connecticut)
One of the most popular actresses of the 20th century, Katharine Hepburn was born in Hartford and lived much of her later life in Old Saybrook.
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A Russian Village Retreat in Southbury
The unique blend of American and Russian architecture found in Churaevka, along with the important part the village played in defining early 20th-century Russian immigration, earned it a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
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Hidden Nearby: John Brown’s Torrington Birthplace
Ruins are all that remain of the birthplace of this transformative figure in US history.
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The First Yale Unit: How U.S. Navy Aviation Began
The legacy forged by the First Yale Unit lead to the creation of the Army Air Corps and military aviation as we know it.
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Sloan Wilson, the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, is Born – Today in History: May 8
On May 8, 1920, American author Sloan Wilson was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. Readers know Wilson best for his 1955 book The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
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Elizabeth W. Coe Demands the Right of Jury Service
After passage of the 19th Amendment, Elizabeth W. Coe of Waterbury argued that women should be granted the right to serve on jury panels.
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West Cornwall Covered Bridge: An Icon of New England Craftsmanship
The West Cornwall Covered Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic places and has been a symbol of the area’s rural heritage for almost 150 years.
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Misread Signal Leads to Deadly South Norwalk Train Wreck – Who Knew?
By 1853, the era of steamboat transportation had largely given way to trains, but there was still a need to manage drawbridges for safe passage.
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The Prospect Green as a Historical Narrative
In the southeast corner of the intersection of Routes 68 and 69 in Prospect lies the community’s historic town green.
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The Newsies Strike Back
Despite organizing in 1909 to fight pay cuts, ultimately, vending machines and changing business models brought an end to the era of the Hartford newsie.
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Take Me to the Fair: Connecticut Exhibits at the International Expositions
Connecticut took part in many of the great World’s Fairs, especially those held in North America.
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Borough of Stonington
Settled in 1752, Stonington became a fishing, shipbuilding, whaling, and sealing center and survived attacks during both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
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Connecticut Declares War Against the Pequot – Today in History: May 1
On May 1, 1637, Connecticut Colony declared war against the Pequot.
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First American Medicine Patent – Today in History: April 30
On April 30, 1796, Samuel Lee Jr. of Windham, Connecticut, received a Letters Patent for his composition of bilious pills.
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The Connecticut River
The Connecticut River received a designation as an American Heritage River, and it remains protected as just one of 14 rivers in the country to be recognized as such.
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USS Tullibee – Today in History: April 27
On April 27, 1960, the USS Tullibee, the first atomic submarine to use turbo-electric propulsion, was launched.
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An Orderly and Decent Government
An Orderly and Decent Government is an exhibition on the history of representative government in Connecticut developed by the CT Humanities in April 2000.
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The Hartford Wheel Club: Disparity in the Gilded Age
Despite the wealth found in some sections of the city, the economic volatility of the Gilded Age produced hard times for residents of Hartford.
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John Rogers was a 19th-Century Sculptor for the Common Man
John Rogers was an American sculptor whose style and production methods made his art popular with middle-class art collectors in the 19th century.
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Hamilton Wrecks Aeroplane – Today in History: April 22
On April 22, 1911, aviation pioneer Charles Hamilton crashed his brand new, all white, biplane the “Moth” at Andrews Field in New Britain.
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News From Lexington: Contemporary Views of the Opening Battles of the American Revolution
A rare set of prints by New Haven printer Amos Doolittle depicts the momentous events of April 19, 1775.
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A Real Connecticut Yankee’s Baseball Career Cut Short
An up-and-coming baseball star discovered playing on the lots of Collinsville, Danny Hoffman played in the majors before joining the New York Yankees.
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Connecticut: Home to the Boxcar Children Mysteries – Who Knew?
…that Gertrude Chandler Warner, a lifelong resident of Putnam, Connecticut, authored the popular series The Boxcar Children Mysteries?
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The American School for the Deaf – Today in History: April 15
On April 15, 1817, the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons opened with seven pupils in Hartford.
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Horace Bushnell Born – Today in History: April 14
On April 14, 1802, Horace Bushnell was born in Bantam and is often called the “father of American religious liberalism.”
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The Northern Student Movement
The Northern Student Movement motivated college students to contribute their energies to important social causes such as literacy and civil rights.
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Speaking under the Open Sky: Frederick Douglass in Connecticut
The famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass had several connections to Connecticut, including run-ins with a number of the state’s vocal slavery proponents.
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Bridgeport’s Walt Kelly, Creator of Pogo
Bridgeport resident Walt Kelly was the creator of Pogo, a wildly popular comic strip during the middle of the 20th century.
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The Gettysburg Address and Heroic Fathers Bronze Tablets at the State Capitol
In 1927, two different women’s organizations dedicated plaques to commemorate events and service in the Civil War.
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The Coaster Brake – Today in History: April 9
On April 9, 1907, Harry Pond Townsend patented the driving and braking mechanism for cycles, the first device to combine driving, braking, and coasting.
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The Innumerable Accolades Afforded Dr. William H. Welch
Trained at Yale, William Welch was a native of Norfolk, Connecticut, and one of the most celebrated physicians of his time.
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War and the Fear of Enemy Aliens – Who Knew?
…that Greenwich had a special police unit trained to handle suspected foreign agents operating in Connecticut.
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