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Alfred Carlton Gilbert, Inventor of the Erector Set – Today in History: February 15
A. C. Gilbert, a successful Olympic athlete, invented the Erector Set after being inspired by the structures he saw while on a train ride from New Haven to New York in 1911.
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Artist Louis Paul Dessar Dies – Today in History: February 14
On February 14, 1952, American artist Louis Paul Dessar died…
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Uriah Tracy Authors the Rules for Impeachment
Uriah Tracy was an attorney and politician who took up…
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Family Ties Bring Together North Branford Industry
In 1830, a resourceful industrialist opened a button making shop…
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Reel Lawn Mower Patent – Today in History: January 28
On January 28, 1868, Amariah Hills of Hockanum, Connecticut, received…
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William Douglas: A Colonial Hero’s Sacrifice
William Douglas was a successful merchant and military leader who…
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From Kiln to Collection: Norwich Pottery and Its Makers
Despite the lack of good local clay, Norwich potteries flourished, turning out jugs, jars, crocks, pie plates, dishes, and other utilitarian objects.
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Henry Barnard Advances State and National Education Initiatives
This 19th-century reformer sought to promote harmonious social and civic behavior by revamping the US school system.
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Franklin’s Ashbel Woodward was a Battlefield Surgeon and Historian
Ashbel Woodward was a physician, historian, and farmer who spent…
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Yale University from Colonial Times to the Present
Yale University has grown from the small “Collegiate School” founded in Saybrook in 1701 to one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
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The Colt Memorial, Cedar Hill Cemetery
Commissioned by Samuel Colt’s wife, Elizabeth Jarvis Colt, and designed…
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Connecticut’s Christmas Town
Nestled in a quiet section of Litchfield County lies the picturesque town of Bethlehem, known best for its designation as “Connecticut’s Christmas Town.”
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Hartford’s Industrial Day – Today in History: October 7
Hartford celebrated the 1908 opening of the Bulkeley Bridge with…
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Connecticut Pin Makers
For the latter half of the 19th century and for much of the 20th, Connecticut led the nation in pin production.
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Danbury Prison Protest – Today in History: August 11
On August 11, 1943, conscientious objectors and other prisoners staged…
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Hartford’s Challenge to “The Birth of a Nation”
D. W. Griffith’s silent movie, the racially charged “Birth of a Nation,” initially played to large audiences in Hartford before meeting with official resistance after World War I.
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Civil War Soldier Dies of Gangrene – Today in History: July 10
On July 10, 1864, Civil War soldier Curtis Bacon of…
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The Who, What, Where, When and Why of Archives: How to Use Them
You could probably guess what archives might be, but think you have never seen one, or have never used one. The truth is most of us have probably used archives and don’t even know it.
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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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Patents – Stafford’s Inventive Minds
Starting in 1790, Connecticut became a national leader in obtaining patents for its abundant innovations. It not only led the nation in patents issued per capita, but in 1809, South Killingly resident Mary Kies became the first woman awarded a US patent.
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Video – Unsung Heroes: The Music of Jazz in New Haven
This documentary clip showcases the heritage of New Haven’s jazz community, weaving the personal narrative of musicians and their families within the context of the city’s social and political history.
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Patents – Bloomfield’s Inventive Minds
From the time the federal government first began issuing patents…
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Video – Augusta Lewis Troup Tribute Film
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Augusta Lewis Troup, a pioneering labor leader, journalist, educator, and suffragist.
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Map: Connecticut Women in History (more to come…)
From forging Revolutionary War ammunition to running newspapers, patenting new…
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Video – Dotha Bushnell Hillyer Tribute Film
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to philanthropist Dotha Bushnell Hillyer, patron of a living memorial to her father, the Reverend Horace Bushnell.
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Video – Helen Keller Tribute Film
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Easton resident Helen Keller, an inspirational champion for the disabled.
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Video – Florence Wald Tribute Film
YouTube – Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame The Connecticut Women’s…
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Video – Barbara McClintock Tribute Film
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Hartford native Barbara McClintock, a famed geneticist and Nobel Prize winner.
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Video – When Disaster Struck: The Flood of 1936, Part I
The CPTV Original, When Disaster Struck Connecticut, provides an in-depth look at the four major natural disasters that befell Connecticut between 1888 and 1955. This clip of archival sources and eyewitness accounts paints a vivid picture of how Connecticut residents coped with the Flood of 1936. The flood stands as the worst natural disaster to ever hit Hartford and the other towns that lie along the Connecticut River.
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Video – When Disaster Struck: The Flood of 1936, Part 2
The CPTV Original, When Disaster Struck Connecticut, provides an in-depth look at the four major natural disasters that befell Connecticut between 1888 and 1955. This clip of archival sources and eyewitness accounts paints a vivid picture of how Connecticut residents coped with the Flood of 1936. The flood stands as the worst natural disaster to ever hit Hartford and the other towns that lie along the Connecticut River.
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Video – When Disaster Struck: King Blizzard
The CPTV Original, When Disaster Struck Connecticut, provides an in-depth look at the four major natural disasters that befell Connecticut between 1888 and 1955. This clip of archival sources and eyewitness accounts paints a vivid picture of how Connecticut residents coped with the monumental storm that hit New England in March of 1888. King Blizzard delivered 20 to 50 inches of snow with drifts of up to 20 feet.
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Blizzard of 1888 Devastates State
An unexpected and deadly March storm, stretching from Washington, DC, to the Canadian border, buried Connecticut in as much as 50 inches of snow.
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Video – Mary Townsend Seymour Tribute Film
Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Hartford native Mary Townsend Seymour, a pioneering advocate for equal rights for African Americans and co-founder of Hartford’s chapter of the NAACP.
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Government Orders Horse Pistols – Today in History: March 9
On March 9, 1799, the government issued its first contract…
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Video – Florence Griswold Tribute Film
The Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame pays tribute to Florence Griswold, an Old Lyme native who fostered the impressionist art movement in Connecticut.
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Emma Hart Willard: Leader in Women’s Education
Berlin-born Emma Hart Willard used her passion for learning to create new educational opportunities for women and foster the growth of the co-ed system.
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Oldies But Goodies – Order DVDs from the Vaults of the Connecticut Humanities
YouTube – CTHPrograms – Co-produced by Connecticut Public Television and…
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Samuel Colt: From Yankee Peddler to American Tycoon
Hartford native Samuel Colt built a financial empire on his design and automated production of the revolver.
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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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Four Saints in Three Acts Debuts – Today in History: February 7
On February 7, 1934, the Wadsworth Atheneum debuted the modernist…
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Town Patents the Lattice Truss Bridge – Today in History: January 28
On January 28, 1820, architect Ithiel Town was granted a…
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Video – Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures: American Clock & Watch Museum
Connecticut’s Cultural Treasures is a series of 50 five-minute film vignettes that profiles a variety of the state’s most notable cultural resources.
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Over Time: West Hartford’s Historical Population
Census data, from colonial times on up to the present, is a key resource for those who study the ways in which communities change with the passage of time.
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William Pinney Does It All for Ellington
William N. Pinney’s life was one of public service. A…
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Video: No Booze for You – Who Knew?
During Prohibition, many Connecticut residents found it easy to obtain alcohol illegally, though violations of Prohibition led to an increase in violent crime.
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Map – Bird’s-eye View of Ansonia, 1875
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries panoramic or…
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